Queensland's longest-standing transgender rights organisation has issued a stark ultimatum to the state government: reverse a five-year ban on puberty blockers for minors or face the public outing of secretly queer politicians within the Liberal National Party (LNP).
The 'Pink Ban' and a Controversial Threat
The Queensland Transgender Gender Diverse and Non-Binary Association (QTrans) announced the controversial move last Friday, following the state government's declaration that it would extend the existing ban through to 2031. The group called for a comprehensive 'pink ban', urging all queer organisations to prohibit LNP members from public events and to withhold endorsement of any state government policy.
In a sharply worded statement, QTrans threatened to expose closeted members of the LNP who supported the legislation blocking minors' access to puberty blockers. "If they want a war with the trans community, it's coming. We will out every silent queer member of their party who supports the mistreatment of trans children," the group declared.
Defence of a 'Barbaric' Law and a Clinical Review
QTrans president, Brianna Hammond, defended the threat as a direct response to what she labelled "barbaric" new laws. She accused the government of ignoring feedback from transgender healthcare experts. "They have just put their fingers in their ears, they're not listening to any feedback whatsoever," Ms Hammond stated.
The government's decision was informed by a 530-page review of Queensland's gender-affirming care model, led by Victoria's former chief psychiatrist, Professor Ruth Vine. The report concluded that evidence supporting puberty blockers in adolescents was "very limited", while noting negative impacts on patients' bone health and fertility.
State Health Minister Tim Nicholls cited this lack of evidence when announcing the extension. "These decisions were made with the safety and wellbeing of Queensland children front and centre," a spokeswoman for Mr Nicholls told the Courier Mail.
Growing Waiting Lists and a Retracted Statement
The policy extension is expected to exacerbate an already significant healthcare backlog. In February, at least 500 children were waiting for approval for puberty blockers and gender-affirming medication within the Queensland health system.
Following significant attention, QTrans has since removed its initial statement containing the threat. QTrans secretary Fran Mulcahy confirmed the post was taken down pending a full board of management meeting. "Much of the original post is in line with the board's beliefs we need time to clarify some of the details and language used," Ms Mulcahy explained.
Ms Hammond had earlier framed the group's stance as a necessary escalation, urging the queer community to apply "unbelievable pressure" on the government. She maintained that outing politicians was not an action to be taken lightly, but insisted the ball was now in the government's court to find a sensible solution through dialogue.
