News Corp newspaper the Australian has taken a particular interest in trans and gender diverse children, and legislation being debated in Victoria to allow people to change the sex on their birth certificate.

According to the ABC’s Media Watch, the Australian has published over 18 articles in the past month, mostly negative, on the topic. Headlines have ranged from “Transgender project ‘out of balance’” to “Gender reassignment? They’re castrating children”.

The peak body for healthcare for trans and gender diverse people, the Australian Professional Association for Trans Health (AusPATH), called the Australian’s coverage “biased, emotive, and is not based on fact”.

The newspaper’s coverage has set the tone for other media outlets, such as Sky News and radio station 2GB. But as with many other issues that get caught up in episodic outbreaks of Australia’s culture wars, the reality of treatment for children is a long way from the headlines.

Evidence based, individualised care

Children like Evie are referred to the gender service at Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne (RCH), where, after assessment, they can go through social transition before puberty, and go on to have puberty blockers and hormone therapy as part of their transition.

Surgery does not commonly occur before a person turns 18, according to RCH.

RCH’s peer-reviewed guide, The Australian Standards of Care and Treatment Guidelines, was published in the Medical Journal of Australia last year, and later endorsed by The Lancet. Read more via the Guardian