The Catholic church showed real courage this week issuing advice to its schools to avoid sending kids for irreversible ‘gender affirmation’ treatments.

However, their advice may be in breach of the law in three jurisdictions, and political activists know it.

Ghassan Kassisieh, legal director at Equality Australia, told the Age newspaper the advice was a ‘begrudging acknowledgement by the bishops that community attitudes and laws in some states and territories are no longer on their side’.

But Catholic schools look set to defy so-called anti-conversion laws in a bid to protect children from what they see as harmful and irreversible ‘transgender’ treatments.

Contrary to what has been asserted, it appears that mainstream Australia is uncomfortable with Equality Australia’s radical gender-fluid agenda for children.

The Australian newspaper broke the story on Tuesday, reporting that, ‘Catholic schools have been strongly advised not to assist in efforts to affirm gender transitions in students through the use of drugs or surgical interventions and that “a human being’s sex is a physical, biological reality”.’

But it is illegal in Queensland, the ACT, and Victoria for a doctor, counsellor, or priest to discourage a gender-confused child from heading down a transgender path.

In Victoria, parents can be jailed if they respond to a cry for help from their child in a way that discourages them from so-called ‘gender affirmation’ treatments.

‘The Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission has been tasked with policing the act. Anyone found guilty of breaking the law could be fined up to $10,000 or face up to 10 years in prison.’

Even prayer requested by a gender-confused child is illegal in Victoria.

This makes the advice issued by the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference courageous and ground-breaking as more and more stories emerge of young people harmed by gender-fluid ideology.

The guidance urges Catholic schools to avoid assisting in the issue of puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, or surgery to limit possible infertility, ‘unnecessary damage’, and ‘future possibilities for healthy human growth’.

‘In this model, practitioners promote ongoing psychological support for the child or young person through engaging with families,’ the guidance says.

‘By discovering the child’s and family’s stories, practitioners are able to understand the gender variance felt by the child or young person within the context of family and their domestic environment.’

UK detransitioner Keira Bell, who regretted having her breasts removed after her gender clinic gave her puberty blockers as a minor, has written of growing up without her mother and strong female role models.

It is also well-known that many girls struggling with their gender identity are on the autism spectrum.

The ACBC guidance quotes widely ignored research that suggests children do not need to be treated with harmful drugs and irreversible surgery.

‘Research data strongly suggests that, for the vast majority of children and adolescents, gender incongruence is a psychological condition through which they will pass safely and naturally with supportive psychological care.

‘Studies quote between 80-90 per cent of pre-pubescent children who do not seem to fit social gender expectations are not gender-incongruent in the long term.’

Sadly, politicians lobbied by LGBTQ+ political activists have chosen to support the idea that a child’s gender is fluid and that it should be against the law to suggest otherwise.

Victorian Liberal leader Matthew Guy has promised not to amend Daniel Andrews ‘conversion therapy’ law which makes it a criminal offence for a parent, imam, priest, doctor, or counsellor to discourage a child from heading down the path of puberty blockers, cross sex hormones, or surgery.

In Victoria, the Andrews government requires teachers to hide from parents a child’s desire to change genders.

In contrast, the ACBC’s advice to Catholic schools is that enrolment records remain true to a child’s biological sex, rejecting the recent political idea that gender is ‘assigned at birth’ by midwives, doctors, and parents.

The guidance also recommends schools stop political activists from pushing gender fluidity inside schools.

This will be welcomed by parents concerned about the incursion of LGBTQ+ ‘wear it purple’ days promoting radical gender-fluid ideology and sexual concepts to children.

The news comes as controversial Florida ‘gender affirmation’ doctor Sidhbh Gallagher posted a photo on Instagram at the weekend of posing with a young woman whose breasts she had just removed.

Dr Gallagher’s website says she’s happy to perform ‘top surgery’ on minors if parents consent.

However, in Victoria, it is government policy for teachers to hide a child’s desire to change genders from his or her parents.

Victorian Labor, Liberal, Green, and Teal politicians who support gender-fluid ideology seem unaware of the closure of London’s child gender clinic, the Tavistock centre, after a review by a top paediatrician, Dr Hilary Cass.

Up to 1,000 victims and their families are considering a class action against Tavistock and here in Australia, the lawsuits of detransitioners have begun as victims of gender activism that led to medical intervention have started speaking out.

Instead of attacking the position of the Catholic church, perhaps those in charge of the activist movement should be more worried about potential class actions?

Family First will be running candidates at the Victorian on, amongst other things, a platform of protecting children from harm.

Family First believes gender-confused children should be offered all support, love, and tolerance, but that irreversible treatments should not be performed on minors.

Family First also believes gender fluid ideology must be removed from schools.

Lyle Shelton is National Director of the Family First party.

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