What are they really protecting?

Transgender policy serves an adult political agenda, not child welfare

Photo by Brian Kyed on Unsplash

Queering reality

For all the cries of “Protect trans kids”, transgender health policy did not evolve from concern about the well-being of gender-confused children but from a clearly stated political aim to break down social norms of gender and sexuality. The intention of the early trans activists was to legitimise all forms of sexual expression, most of which are male sexual behaviours and some currently illegal (e.g., exhibitionism, voyeurism), without regard for the rights and well-being of affected children and females.

While current supporters may genuinely believe they have the best interests of “trans kids” at heart, the reckless nature of the “gender-affirming” treatment model poses a risk to youth welfare.

Indoctrination

Child indoctrination is the process of teaching children to uncritically accept a set of beliefs, values or ideologies.

When schools teach children only one version of “gender identity”—such as the claim that feeling uncomfortable in their body or anxiety about puberty means they could be in the wrong body—this is indoctrination, not education.

When the contents of the program are kept secret from parents, it suggests conscious indoctrination. Otherwise, the designers of these programs would welcome parent input and the opportunity to discuss any concerns. No doubt there are presenters who believe the gender ideology they teach. Others just go along with it because they know any criticism will be punished.

When these programs allow the child to uncritically embrace the new ideals and associated behaviours—such as social transition at school without parental knowledge or consent—it is clear the presenters are seeking converts to their cause.

These programs are presenting an ideology with the aim of significant social change, regardless of the welfare of the child or the distress of the parents. Children are taught that a person’s gender identity is independent of their biological sex or anatomy and that they can define their own gender, including non-binary identities that are neither “boy” nor “girl”. They are encouraged to find their “preferred pronouns” and given support to transition at school, which is kept secret from parents, allowing this new belief to be acted out and reinforced in real life.

Trans activists have perfected the art of using all media platforms and public events to justify their intrusion into school curricula by establishing a brand slogan, “Protect trans kids”, that portrays any child who questions their gender as a member of the most marginalised, vulnerable group in society. But are gender-questioning young people really that special?

Vulnerable children in care are just one example of a deserving group that could benefit from even a small portion of the funding and attention given to trans health services. The plight of those in our child protection and youth justice systems is described in a 2024 report by the Australian Human Rights Commission into systemic barriers to supporting vulnerable children in care. It covers a 12-year period and identifies inadequate levels of investment; inadequate levels of information sharing and collaboration; limited workforce capacity and support; a lack of mechanisms for oversight, monitoring and transparency; and limited opportunities for children to participate and be heard.

“Children in contact with the child protection and youth justice systems have complex needs such as poverty, marginalisation, systemic racism, disabilities, learning problems, and poor mental and physical health. And we know the systems that are meant to help them are not fit-for-purpose,” Commissioner Anne Hollonds said.

Compare this to the extent of dedicated healthcare programs for gender-questioning children and young people, the training of education and health staff, the focus on the perceived needs of this group in health and education services, and the ongoing effort to keep trans issues at the forefront of community and health concerns.

Social influence

The impact of social media on the mental health of young people is well established, such that Australia’s government has banned under-16 access to some platforms. It takes high levels of denial to claim that the dramatic increase in gender-questioning young people had nothing to do with their exposure to gender ideology on social media.

Trans advocates are inventive in the way they keep trans issues front and centre on the social agenda. Here are some of the events promoting trans ideology scheduled for March 2026 in Australia—

• Trans Day of Visibility (TDOV) March 31, 2026:

  • Dr Yves Rees in Conversation: Reservoir Library, Victoria, celebrating the annual day of awareness

  • Trans Day of Visibility Pride in Diversity: Various national events focused on inclusion, including in-person and online initiatives

  • “You Can’t Ask That” TDOV Panel (Online): A candid, conversational-style panel about gender diversity, visibility and real inclusion

  • Trans Joy Swim and Gym (State of NSW): Held at Cook + Phillip Park Pool, Sydney, on March 29

• Trans Day of Vengeance 2026: A fundraiser supporting the Incarcerated Trans and Gender-Diverse Community Fund and RISE Refugees.

• Midsumma Pride March 2026: A major, visible demonstration of support and community in Melbourne

• MEDUSA Trans Visibility Party (March 29, 2026, NSW)

• Pride in Protest TDOV Rally (March 30, 2026, NSW)

Only a naïve health professional would rule out social influence as a major factor in the high rate of trans identification in young people.

Adolescent challenges

It is disturbing to think about what it will take to reduce the influence of gender ideology on the healthcare of a group of confused young people. They aren’t confused about their gender so much as confused about the pathway through adolescence and puberty, at a time when being average is considered to be social failure.

More than ever, young people are under pressure to be individuals, yet fit in with the group. They are told they can be anything they want, reach any goals, if they try hard enough. The reality is, of course, that most people are under the bell curve as average, ordinary individuals who will meet daily challenges in an average way.

Queer activists play on the tension between wanting to be special, yet wanting to fit in. It is difficult to break through all the noise created by trans activists signalling that transition is the cure for this distress.

What is needed now is for concerned health professionals, educators, parents, journalists—anyone who sees the damage this indoctrination of children is causing—to take a step back from the trans issue and start providing information on how to help young people in general to negotiate the pathway through adolescence.

Obscured by gender

Many schools have personal development programs that begin in the kindergarten years and progress through to the middle of high school. These programs are a valuable resource for students to learn about emotional resilience, interpersonal relationships, how to cope with bullying, drug awareness and so on.

Adolescence is recognised as a time of increased emotional distress. The 2023 State of the Nation Report highlights a mental health crisis, with 35.9 per cent of secondary students reporting high anxiety, depression, or both, alongside widespread learning disengagement.

Around one-third (34 per cent) of Australian young people report experiencing suicidal thoughts or behaviours by age 18-19, with higher rates among females (38 per cent) than males (31 per cent). Suicide is the leading cause of death for those aged 15-24, accounting for roughly 30-32 per cent of all deaths in this group. Suicidality peaks around age 16-17. Untreated or under-treated mental health conditions—particularly depression, anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder, and conduct disorders—are the strongest predictors, present in up to 90 per cent of adolescent suicide cases.

When issues of gender are discussed in a school program, it needs to be in the context of a general discussion on sexuality, gender identity, social expectations, body image, self-esteem, mental health, and so on.

The overall message of these programs should be that it takes time for a young person to work out who they are, their goals in life, including their sexual orientation and gender identity. They may change their mind many times about their values, wants and needs, their expectations for their future.

If they feel different to others of the same sex and sometimes wish they were the other sex, it is helpful to begin with acknowledging they are gender non-conforming to allow for ongoing discovery about what is best for them. It is essential to make clear that while it is possible to adopt the gender role of the other sex, it is impossible to change sex—that is, it is impossible to be the other sex.

If a student indicates the desire to adopt the gender identity of the other sex, social transition at school must include, without exception, a discussion with parents because they will find out eventually, and their belated discovery will greatly increase any emotional response.

Failure of duty

Those practising gender-affirming care have dictated health policies about the assessment and management of gender-questioning young people for the best part of a decade, and any open challenge to this policy has been at times ruthlessly suppressed. This is quite contrary to good health practice, so it is not surprising that lawsuits against individual health professionals and professional societies are beginning.

One of the major points of difference between gender-affirming care and the work of a traditional health professional is the former’s abandonment of a comprehensive assessment of a young person, who typically presents with significant co-morbid mental health problems. Instead, affirmation begins immediately when the child is asked their preferred pronouns.

The failure to explore all possible options that might account for the young person’s often very recent decision they are trans, is likely to become the major health scandal of our times. The duty of care of all health professionals is to make every effort to ensure they have arrived at the safest diagnosis and to develop the most appropriate treatment plan for that individual.

Health professionals who take the view that the gender-affirming model of care fails to do this, now need to shift from pointing out the flaws in that model to presenting a detailed model of the care they advocate. One way to do this is to give thought to the structure and content of a module on gender identity in the curriculum of the undergraduate program for their particular profession, and to develop workshops on gender for those already in the workforce.

The most difficult task in providing such training is to get past the power and control of gender activists such as members of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health and its regional affiliates, but change is slowly coming and the demand for a detailed alternative assessment and management position for gender distress may come quicker than now seems possible.

Adults in the room

Although gender ideologues have had a stranglehold on the media, cracks are showing, so it is time to develop a comprehensive suite of topics which offer information and advice to help children and families navigate through policies of transgender indoctrination.

A major hurdle for the health professions is that the power of the trans movement comes mainly from the adults who insist a man can become a woman. It is a myth that self-ID laws allowing legal sex change are a modest measure for the protection of males who want to live quietly as a woman. The much broader agenda of self-ID is revealed in the fine print of the process. In the Australian states of NSW and Victoria, for example, there is no limit on the number of times a person can change the sex on their birth certificates. Why would a person who genuinely believes they are the other sex need to change their identity more than once?

Dr Sandra Pertot retired not long ago after 50 years of practice as a clinical psychologist specialising in human sexuality, including sexual dysfunction, sexual orientation and gender diversity