Queer Liberation Boorloo has announced a rally this Saturday in response to the Northern Territory government’s decision to ban puberty blockers and gender-affirming hormone therapy for transgender children in the Australian state.
The group is calling on the community to mobilise in solidarity with young trans people, following a spate of policy rollbacks in 2025 that have stripped away access to essential care.
What’s Happening?
The rally—titled “Hands off trans kids: oppose the NT’s healthcare ban”—will take place at 5 PM on Saturday, 3 January, at Northbridge (Pride) Piazza in Boorloo (Perth), on Wadjuk Noongar country.
The action follows Queensland’s sudden ban on 28 January, when Health Minister Tim Nicholls halted access to puberty blockers and hormones for new patients under 18.
In the lead-up to Christmas, Northern Territory Health Minister Steve Edgington announced that public access to gender-affirming healthcare for trans youth would also “cease”.
‘A Risk to Trans Lives’
Although Edgington initially denied changes were coming—responding to an Australian Christian Lobby petition in March—he has since reversed that stance, citing “child safety” as the motivation.
“Territory kids deserve to grow up free from these dangerous ideologically driven practices with irreversible consequences,” Edgington claimed, stating that only “a handful” of teenagers were currently receiving gender-affirming care via the NT public health system.
Instead, the NT government said it would focus on adolescent mental health services.
The ban mirrors controversial decisions in Queensland, the UK, and here in Aotearoa, which have been widely condemned by health experts, human rights groups, and LGBTQ+ advocates as harmful and medically unsound.
‘We Will Not Let This Go Unchallenged’
In a statement on social media, Queer Liberation Boorloo made it clear that these policies would not be accepted quietly:
“We will not let this go unchallenged,” they wrote. “We’re starting the year right—by standing up for trans and gender diverse young people.”
Top End Pride also criticised the NT government’s shift, saying:
“Earlier this year the NT was willing to follow medical evidence, but now it’s following Queensland’s lead in banning puberty blockers—and in doing so, placing Territory lives at risk.”
“Increased funding and improved access to gender-affirming healthcare should be the priority, not government overreach.”
