Supreme Court hearing begins challenging transgender hormone therapy ban for children - Australia

[FeralWoman]

A mother is challenging the Queensland state government’s ban on transgender hormone therapy for under 18s. The Supreme Court hearing began today. It is a closed court hearing to maintain the privacy of the child. The mother can’t be identified due to child privacy laws.

The ban only applies to patients in the state public health system. Patients in the private system can still receive transgender hormone therapy. Not sure why. Possibly because the state doesn’t fund the private system. The federal government funds Medicare rebates for the private system. The public system is controlled by each state government.

Separate reviews of transgender hormone therapy for children are underway by both the Queensland state government and the Australian federal government. The Queensland review is due at the end of November. I’m not sure when the federal review is due. The federal government tried to get Queensland to drop their review but they declined. Different political parties are in power for each. Queensland has the Liberal National Party (LNP) in power. Despite their name they aren’t liberal. They’re conservative and right wing. The Australian Labor Party (ALP) is in power federally. They’re liberal but much more towards central these days rather than the left.

Background on the case:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-05-07/qld-puberty-blocker-freeze-challenged-in-supreme-court/105263204

Official document with reasons for the ban:
https://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/Work-of-the-Assembly/Tabled-Papers/docs/5825t0606/5825t606.pdf

Queensland Human Rights Commission (QHRC) document about paediatric hormone therapy:
https://www.qhrc.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/word_doc/0005/55346/Review-of-Stage-1-and-Stage-2-hormone-therapies-in-Queenslands-public-paediatrics-gender-services.docx

Not much in the mainstream news so far. I’ve found this. It’s pretty comprehensive.
https://qnews.com.au/community-rally-in-support-of-mum-fighting-trans-puberty-blocker-ban/

I’m worried that the court will rule in favour of the mother and open up hormone therapy again. Vulnerable children will then be put on the path to transition again and having their health damaged.

The official review has been published and the decision has been made to continue the pause of puberty blockers for children in the public health system in Queensland. This pause will continue until 2031 (or a different state government in 3 years) when the UK puberty blocker trial concludes.

Official statement:
https://statements.qld.gov.au/statements/104227

@FeralWoman thank you. Very interesting that they state they are waiting for the UK trial. It’s clear the evidence for the impact of PB doesn’t exist.

Here’s a link to the review led by Prof Ruth Vine.

https://www.health.qld.gov.au/research-reports/reports/review-investigation/hormone-therapies-review

On the news tonight there was of course gnashing and wailing from young TRAs and an anonymous mum (can’t be identified because her child is gender clinic patient).

Puberty blockers are still available via the private health system. They’re not entirely banned. If you can afford the fees to see a private paediatric endocrinologist who is willing to prescribe them then it’s not a problem. Put the child on a pathway to cross sex hormones, sterility, immature genitals, an immature brain, reduced IQ, reduced cognitive ability, crappy bones and more but you’ll have to pay for it.

Wow the report is 532 pages long! If any brave soul has the brain power to read it I suspect that there might be some gems in there. I’ve read parts of the Executive Summary and it seems to be well written.

Some news articles about it.

Our national broadcaster:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-12-19/qld-puberty-blockers-pause-trans-teenagers-to-continue/106161908

The Guardian:
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/dec/19/queensland-ban-puberty-blockers-gender-dysphoria-2031#:~:text=A%20pause%20on%20puberty%20blockers,Tim%20Nicholls%2C%20announced%20on%20Friday.

The Guardian warning of suicides:
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/dec/20/some-will-take-their-own-lives-puberty-blocker-bans-in-queensland-and-nz-risk-extreme-harm-to-trans-youth-uk-expert-warns

As always, our ABC has its eye on the ACON prize for which it has paid our good money.

Thanks for the update. 👍

Is the Guardian shroud waving with the mythical mass suicide threat again? 🤬

Emotional blackmail is all they've got now, I'm glad the Queensland government are ignoring it, and are taking the ban seriously, time will show they're right and the unhinged ones and they're 'allies' are wrong, wrong, wrong.

@TheywontletmehavethenameIwant It’s the only good thing that the current Queensland government is doing. Everything else they’re doing is shit. Emotional blackmail wouldn’t work on them because that needs a heart to work, and they don’t have one.

One day gender affirming care will be looked back on like we look at lobotomies: horror and disbelief.

The same thing can be said of Trump, we can't pick and choose those who do the right thing, we can only be grateful some in power are seeing things our way.

'War makes for strange bedfellow'.