The Australian Professional Association for Trans Health has used today’s Transgender Day of Visibility to announce new guidelines intended to help medical institutions be better allies to the transgender community.
The Australian Informed Consent Standards of Care for Gender Affirming Hormone Therapy is a set of national standards to assist health practitioners and clinics across Australia to better understand the gender-related medical needs of trans women, trans men and non-binary patients.
National Union of Students Queer and LGBTI officer Jordy Duffey says this a crucial stepping stone in creating, safer and more accessible healthcare for the transgender community.
“There are obviously plenty of healthcare services that are available, but the transgender community has been afraid to access these services in fear of being discriminated against or being deadnamed or misgendered,” Duffey says.
“Having these guidelines do matter and it raises awareness on how medical institutions can be better allies towards the transgender community.”
To legally change gender in Western Australia, an individual must stand before the Gender Reassignment Board for an official gender recognition certificate, a procedure only existing in WA.
TransFolk of WA chairperson Hunter Gurevich believes the process is excessive and can be traumatic.
“It’s unnecessary and we still have a great deal of difficulty getting transgender people to feel safe enough to access healthcare services let alone justifying their identity to a board,” says Gurevich.
“Removing this process will allow an opportunity for the government to be seen as an ally.”
-Hunt Gurevich
There are several events taking place across Perth to celebrate and raise awareness about Transgender Day of Visibility, including Curtin University Student Guild’s Queer Department’s sundowner at 5pm this evening.
Guild queer representative Cassidy Pemberton hopes the sundowner will be a safe space for transgender and queer people, and allies to come together to celebrate their community.
“We hope people hear us and see that the issues we face are real and having the opportunity to host an event like this shows the world that we do have a voice,” Pemberton says.
There will also be a protest on April 2 at the Perth Cultural Centre to raise awareness about the rights of the transgender community.