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They are confident the scientific evidence will back their world view, and insist the councilβs review be βled by the expertsβ β by which they mean practitioners already working in gender medicine.
When Butler and his assistant minister, Ged Kearney, talked on Friday about people with βlived experienceβ being involved on the panel, it was designed as a signal to them that transgender people and proponents of βaffirming careβ will be part of it.
Opponents, on the other hand β including those whoβve regretted their transitions and angry parents of young people who have been through the system β insist their lived experience must also be reflected.
In short, all sides are keenly aware that who staffs this inquiry is crucial. They are watching like hawks.
Out of all this we can say two things for certain. Firstly, that Butlerβs seemingly rushed announcement (the National Health and Medical Research Council was not even ready to talk about it on Friday) was partly designed to stop Queenslandβs health minister in his plans to pause the issuance of puberty blockers pending an inquiry. Itβs not clear thatβs been successful.
The second certainty is that Labor does not want an election culture war on this issue.
As Peter Dutton spoils for a fight against woke, we only need to look to the United States, where one of Donald Trumpβs most effective election advertisements, on high rotation, was one that said: βKamala is for they/them, President Trump is for youβ. He has since banned transgender people from the military and cut federal funding for transgender medicine.
Spurred on by Queenslandβs move this week, Butlerβs Friday announcement now means that, to any accusation that Labor is for they/them, the whole issue is in the hands of the scientists. Labor hopes this will kick the can far enough down the road.
As for what actually comes of this review of the guidelines, well, that depends very much on whoβs appointed to run it.
