Trans advocates slam Queensland Opposition Leader’s “demonising” comments

A trans advocacy group has defended the Queensland government’s review of regulations around births, deaths, and marriages for trans and gender diverse people.

Queensland members of Trans Health Australia criticised state Opposition Leader Deb Frecklington’s “transphobic” remarks over the review.

Frecklington this week called the matter “political correctness gone mad” and declared “you can only be born male or female”.

Though numbers are difficult to estimate, many Australians are trans or gender diverse, with the 1,260 people reporting a sex other than male or female on the last census thought to be a significant underrepresentation.

Further, almost two per cent of people are born with an intersex variation, physical or genetic characteristics that are neither fully stereotypically male nor female.

Cairns-based Trans Health Australia founder and convenor Melody Moore said the birth certificate review had been reported on badly by parts of the press.

“[The mainstream media] has a shocking history of sensationalising and demonising trans people—this has to stop,” she told the Star Observer.

“In reality these are human rights matters that have bipartisan support in government and are long overdue.

“Law reforms like this are being brought to the forefront in Australia now that the issue of marriage equality has finally been resolved by the federal government.

“These reforms to state legislation are based on recommendations made to our governments over 10 years ago by human rights organisations such as the UN and the Australian Human Rights Commissions.

“Australia is just starting to finally catch up with these necessary reforms on human rights for sex and gender diverse Australians.”

Trans Health Australia board member and Brisbane Anglican priest Jo Inkpin said that legislation needed to better support gender diverse Queenslanders.

“It is time that gender diversity stopped being a political or religious football,” she told the Star Observer.

“Everyone needs the right to affirm their authentic identity and to be supported in it.”

The review of legislation for the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages comes as Queensland and other states must amend their laws to fall in line with federal marriage equality by this December.