LGBTIQ health advocates invite Scott Morrison to meet with transgender people

Scott Morrison has been invited to meet with one group of people after his latest comments on the campaign trail raised alarm.

Scott Morrison has been invited to meet with transgender people after he claimed “gender reversal surgery for young adolescents” was a “troubling issue” for Australians.

A coalition of LGBTIQ advocacy groups extended the invitation to the Prime Minister to “educate himself” on transgender issues after he made the remarks at a press conference on Tuesday.

Mr Morrison was forced to concede gender confirmation surgery is not available to children under the age of 18 in Australia after being challenged on the matter by reporters.

Trans equality, peer support and healthcare groups have said they are alarmed and disappointed by Mr Morrison’s comments regarding medical care for transgender young people.

Transcend Australia executive officer Jeremy Wiggins said he was concerned the Prime Minister was spreading what he described as “alarmist views”.

“The reality is that young transgender people struggle to access the care that they need, when they need it,” Mr Wiggins said.

“These are personal decisions about healthcare that should be left to young people and the doctors and parents that support them, rather than debated by politicians in the middle of a federal election campaign.”

The Prime Minister’s office has been contacted for comment.

Scott Morrison has been invited to meet with transgender people and ‘educate himself’. Picture: Jason Edwards

Mr Morrison stood by his captain’s pick candidate for Warringah, Katherine Deves, who has walked back her apology for describing transgender children as “surgically mutilated and sterilised”.

“I’m apologising for how people might have perceived it, and the fact that it is confronting, and it is ugly, and I certainly don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings,” Ms Deves told Sky News on Monday.

“But that is the correct terminology.”

Ms Deves is a biological sex campaigner and the co-founder of the lobby group Save Women’s Sport, which calls for transgender people to be banned from competing in female sports.

Asked about her remarks the following morning, Mr Morrison said they were about “incredibly sensitive” and “very challenging” issues.

“What we’re talking about here is gender reversal surgery for young adolescents. And we can’t pretend this is not a very significant, serious issue,” he said.

Mr Morrison said he “wouldn’t use” the term “mutilation” but, when pressed on what the correct terminology was, he twice said: “I’m not a surgeon”.

Katherine Deves, pictured at a Liberal campaign rally last week, has stirred controversy over her stance on transgender people. Picture: Jason Edwards

He seemed to conflate gender confirmation surgery with other treatments for young adults experiencing gender dysphoria.

Fiona Bisshop, the president of the Australian Professional Association for Trans Health, sought to correct the Prime Minister.

“Genital surgery is only performed on adults. In rare cases, older trans teenage boys undergo surgery on their upper bodies,” she said.

“These treatments help young people to be able to leave the house, go to school and live their lives rather than stay at home crippled by anxiety and dysphoria.”

Dr Bisshop said the difficulties experienced by trans young people were made worse by politicians with no expertise attacking their care.

“This needs to stop,” she said.

Equality Australia chief executive officer Anna Brown said the gender affirming model of care adopted in children’s hospitals in Australia has been upheld by the Family Court.

It was Mr Morrison who stirred up the pre-election debate over gender and biological sex when, on the first day of the campaign, he described Ms Deves as “outspoken and brave on these ­issues”.

Mr Morrison’s office has been contacted for comment.