Parents of gender dysphoric kids hit back at Jacinta Allan
Parents of gender dysphoric children have rejected Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan’s assertion that transgender children are 15 times more likely to take their own life.
A group representing more than 50 Victorian parents of children with gender dysphoria has hit back at Jacinta Allan after she dismissed the views of one as “disgraceful nonsense”, writing to the Premier to ask that she meet them to hear their concerns.
Parents of Adolescents with Gender Distress has also taken issue with Ms Allan’s assertion that transgender children are 15 times more likely to die by suicide than their peers, accusing her of citing inaccurate data and making “alarmist and irresponsible” claims.
The Australian revealed on Thursday Victoria’s curriculum had been updated to teach children as young as five that their body parts may not match their gender, and biologically male students who identify as female are entitled to play sport on girls’ teams.
Concern over the Respectful Relationships curriculum prompted a spokeswoman from PAGD to warn of a “school to gender clinic pipeline”, arguing children struggling with adolescence are being persuaded they were born in the wrong body and pushed towards irreversible and often harmful medical treatment.
Asked to respond to the views of the spokeswoman, whom The Australian has agreed not to name to protect her child’s privacy, Ms Allan said the notion of a “school to clinic pipeline” was “nonsense”.
“It’s disgraceful nonsense. Like, seriously, this sort of ongoing attack on a program that is making a difference in kids’ lives just should be stopped,” she said.
“It should be stopped. It’s disgraceful reporting. It’s hurtful. When you consider the incidence, that transgender kids are 15 times more likely to kill themselves, we should be supporting them,” the Premier said.
In a letter sent to Ms Allan on Thursday afternoon, PAGD sought a meeting with the Premier in light of her “recent dismissive comments concerning the operation of the Respectful Relationships program and its impact on our gender distressed children”.
“We would welcome the opportunity to discuss our concerns and lived experience with you,” PAGD wrote, adding they have been seeking meetings with Education Minister Ben Carroll and his departmental secretary for more than a year, “and they have refused to engage with us”.
“You made the alarming suggestion of a 15 times higher rate of suicide amongst transgender children. We believe this figure comes from survey data and concerned thoughts of suicide rather than completed suicide,” the parents wrote.
The data Ms Allan referenced appears to come from the website of advocacy group LGBTIQ+ Health Australia, which did not cite its source. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare website states “there are … no reliable national data on rates of suicide and self-harm among LGBTIQ+ communities in Australia”.
Data from the world’s largest gender clinic, the UK’s Tavistock Clinic, shows that rates of suicide amongst youth referred to the clinic were slightly higher than the general population, and the same amongst those receiving treatment and those who were not.
Pediatrician Hilary Cass’s comprehensive independent review of gender identity services for children in the UK last year found that “the evidence does not adequately support the claim that gender affirming treatment reduces suicide risk”.
PAGD said Ms Allan’s remarks were “especially concerning considering experts caution against alarmist and irresponsible claims of suicide, particularly, as is the case here, when it’s not backed up by data”.
“Data shows suicide rates for transgender youth, while elevated, remain extremely low, and as many also suffer from co-occurring conditions (ASD (autism spectrum disorder), eating disorders, anxiety) which have similar levels of risk, a direct correlation can’t be made,” the parents wrote.
“Neither affirmation nor medicalisation impacts this suicide risk or suicidal ideation and there is no evidence that programs introducing unevidenced concepts of ‘gender identity’ are beneficial to the mental health of children or adolescents.
“We believe these programs which invite children to question their sex, and therefore their comfort in their own bodies, based on stereotypes, create unnecessary anxiety and confusion, particularly for gender-nonconforming or neurodiverse children.
“We hope that in the spirit of inclusivity you could meet with us to hear our personal stories.”
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