‘Project 491’: Trans health group to fund private treatment after Queensland’s puberty blocker ban
AusPATH said the ban created a disparity between families who could afford specialist fees and those who could not.
A transgender health group has crowdfunded almost $100,000 in a month to pay for private specialist fees after Queensland banned public clinics initiating puberty blockers or cross-sex hormones for teens.
In January, the State Government blocked prescribing at public clinics pending a review into best practices and an investigation into the Cairns Sexual Health Service.
The government claimed the Cairns service may have deviated from Australian Professional Association for Trans Health (AusPATH) guidelines, including by prescribing puberty blockers to a 12-year-old.
However, AusPATH — a group of over 600 health workers — says the “cruel and arbitrary” statewide ruling has left 491 patients without care.
