Liberal senator Alex Antic has lamented that his attempts to push for a parliamentary inquiry into the medical treatment of transgender youth has failed for a second time.
Speaking to Outsiders on Sky News on Sunday Senator Antic said he would keep pushing for an inquiry into how transgender youth are treated by doctors, and ultimately progress his call to pull funding from gender clinics around the country.
“We’re talking about young people under 18 who can’t drink, who can’t get a tattoo, can’t vote, can’t do a whole lot of things, but when it comes to this issue – their feelings are getting listened to in what are very complicated medical, and I think emotional, scenarios.
Senator Antic said he wanted to see a “complete and utter prohibition on children under 18 being able to transition their gender” and his bill would “restrain the medical community” and “pull funding from these clinics”.
Senator Antic said there should be more concern about reports about people de-transitioning, a suggestion that what buoyed by Sky News presenters Rita Panahi and James Morrow.
Studies show that claims of a wave of ‘detransitioners’ are unfounded
While stories of people who have transitioned gender and later returned to identifying with the gender they were assigned at birth have been in the spotlight in the media, research shows that the occurrence is not common.
A study conducted at Perth’s Pediatric Gender Clinic published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics on 4th March 2024 showed that 5.3% of young people reidentified with the birth registered sex before or during assessment, only 1% of all patients who initiated medical treatment later detransitioned.
A 2023 study from the University of Michigan, published in the journal JAMA Surgery looked into 235 patients who had undergone a gender affirming mastectomy over the last 30 years.
They found that the median satisfaction rate among those patients was five out of five, and that not a single patient in the study regretted their decision to change gender. The study centred around a single medical provider, and researchers say the next step will be to look at satisfaction rates across multiple providers.
Previous studies have also shown that the level of regret is extremely low. A study of 6793 people who sought gender-affirming services at the multi-disciplinary VU Medical Centre in Amsterdam between 1972 and 2015 found that patients who underwent a gonadectomy had a regret rate of 0.6 % for trans women and 0,3% for transmen. They acknowledge that rate of regret may be higher though as many patients did not continue seeing the clinic for follow ups.
One of the largest studies into transgender levels of regret was the US Transgender Survey that took place in 2015. It included 27,715 adults, and they asked if patients had ever, even if only temporarily detransitioned. Rates of detransition were higher in transgender women (11%) than transgender men (4%). The most common reasons cited were pressure from a parent (36%), transitioning was too hard (33%), too much harassment or discrimination (31%), and trouble getting a job (29%).
Senator Antic first put forward his bill in 2023
Senator Antic first announced his private members bill to ban affirming medical treatment for transgender youth in 2023. Under Senator Antic’s proposal people under the age of 18 would only be allowed to change their gender in “exceptional circumstances” that involves people who have “long-diagnosed sexual development disorders”.
Senator Antic, who has a legal background, said he believed most people were choosing to transition gender because of pressure from friends or medical professionals, rather than a genuine medical need. The bill is
The bill was widely condemned by LGBTIQA+ rights groups and when Senator Antic pushed for a parliamentary inquiry to look into the issue he didn’t have the numbers in the parliament.
On 27 February Antic attempted a second push for an inquiry based around his Childhood Gender Transition Prohibition Bill, and the following day when senators were asked if they wanted to consider a vote on the issue, it fell flat for a second time.
Speaking in parliament Senator Antic said Australians should be concerned about the “wave of detransitioners’ who regret transitioning gender earlier in life saying that the growing number of cases of Australian youth experiencing gender dysphoria would lead to “an epidemic of detransitioners.”
Senator Antic said concerns that a parliamentary inquiry would be a traumatic experience for transgender youth and their families should not be an issue.
“I can almost hear the voices from the other side of the chamber, however, and our friends in the Greens. I know, because I’ve heard it several times already before—that this will simply traumatise children and place enormous pressure on families.
“We’re talking about serious medical intervention in the lives of children. In most states in this country—in all states, I would say—we don’t allow children to drink under the age of 18, to get tattoos when they’re under 18 or to drive a car until they’re 16. Yet here in Australia children as young as three years of age are being offered this kind of intervention.
“It is absolutely shameful. It is shameful that there isn’t more protection for these children, many of whom will go on to regret what they have been involved in. It is even more shameful that the people in this chamber continually refuse to allow this matter to be properly debated as it should, in the confines and the surrounds of a Senate committee. ” Senator Antic said.
Greens’ senator Netta Green spoke against the proposal saying it would have serious implications on vulnerable young people, labelling the proposal from Senator Antic a “political stunt”.
“I want to be very clear that health care should be between patients, their families and their doctors, and the treatment of trans and gender-diverse people, for the young person, is a matter for the young person, their families and their doctors.” Senator Green said.
Western Australian Senator Matt O’Sullivan said a parliamentary inquiry is needed
Liberal Senator Matt O’Sullivan, who represents Western Australia, voiced his support for an inquiry.
Senator O’Sullican said he was concerned that doctors treated transgender youth were not facing enough ‘checks and balances’ in their work.
“There’s concern that there aren’t the necessary checks and balances to ensure that the protection of those children is paramount. I think it is absolutely right that this Senate has a look at the framework that surrounds this whole issue to make sure that children aren’t being exploited or referred to services and medical practices that would ultimately have a long-term impact upon their lives.” Senator O’Sullivan said.
Senator O’Sullivan said many Western Australians had contacted him concerned about the issue.
“It is an issue that is raised by many people within my state of Western Australia. I get quite a lot of correspondence from people that are very concerned about this. We’re seeing the huge rise in extra litigation that’s now occurring, particularly in the United States, against doctors and practitioners who have been part of a child’s transition—later on in life, they’re now suing the doctors. What sort of environment do we want to have here in this country? As I said, I think it’s entirely appropriate that we take a look at this issue.”
A vote was held the following day and MPs voted not to move forward with considering the proposal for an inquiry.
Graeme Watson
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