A leading UK academic has issued a stark warning that recent bans on puberty blockers and hormone therapy for transgender youth in Queensland and New Zealand, which follow a similar UK policy, will cause severe harm and are likely to lead to youth suicides.
The UK Ban's 'Appalling' Impact
Dr Natacha Kennedy, a sociologist from Goldsmiths, University of London, surveyed over 100 young transgender people and their parents after the UK's puberty blocker ban was first implemented in March 2024 and extended indefinitely last December. Her research, published in the Journal of Gender Studies in June, found the policy has left young people in 'abject misery and severe distress'.
Kennedy told Guardian Australia that the psychological harm was significant, encompassing extreme stress, anxiety, fear, trauma, and increased suicidal ideation. She stated these harms were constant and all-encompassing, preventing young people from leading normal lives during a crucial developmental period.
Policies Spread to Australia and New Zealand
Following the UK's lead, Queensland's Liberal National government, elected in late 2024, issued a directive blocking public doctors from prescribing puberty blockers or hormones to new young patients with gender dysphoria. In November, the New Zealand government announced a similar ban, though its introduction was later delayed pending a judicial review.
Kennedy's response to these moves was one of 'absolute horror'. She asserts the bans will harm trans children, stating unequivocally: 'Some … will take their own lives.' She holds politicians and policymakers directly responsible for this foreseeable outcome.
On the Ground: Families in Crisis
The human impact is already being felt in Queensland. Rachel Hinds, CEO of the Open Doors Youth Service, reported supporting families with young people on suicide watch since the ban. She recounted a conversation with a distraught mother who said the new goal was simply to keep her daughter alive, highlighting the 'incredible toll' the policy shift is taking.
Puberty blockers, which pause reversible physical changes of puberty, are used to give adolescents time to explore their gender identity. Gender-affirming hormones like oestrogen or testosterone, which produce some irreversible changes, may follow.
Questioning the Evidence Base
Governments have justified the bans by citing concerns over the long-term evidence for puberty blockers, adopting a precautionary principle. However, Associate Professor Ken Pang, a paediatrician and biomedical researcher, points out that most paediatric medicine operates on a low to moderate-quality evidence base due to ethical and practical challenges of large-scale child studies.
Pang, a member of the NHMRC's gender guidelines committee, argues the focus on evidence ignores the other pillars of evidence-based medicine: patient values and clinical expertise. He criticises those who oppose gender-affirming care without direct experience, stating: 'I know that if I was diagnosed with cancer, then I’d be seeking advice from an oncologist, not listening to some other random doctor.'
Data contradicts claims that such treatments are routine or easily accessed. An independent review of Queensland's clinic found that 71% of attendees over a specific period had not been prescribed puberty blockers or hormones 12 months later. The review deemed the service safe and evidence-based.
Political Climate and Misinformation
Dr Ronita Nath of The Trevor Project notes that healthcare for gender-questioning youth has become highly politicised, with rampant misinformation making access harder. A 2024 US study she co-authored linked state-level anti-trans laws to a direct increase in suicide attempts among youths.
Kennedy adds that as puberty blockers have been safely used for decades for other conditions, and for trans youth since the 1990s, any significant long-term harm would already be evident.
The UK's Cass review, which informed the initial ban, has faced peer-reviewed criticism for methodological issues and insufficient engagement with trans communities and clinical experts. Despite this, its precautionary approach is now influencing policy thousands of miles away, with experts warning of devastating consequences for vulnerable young people.
