Penny Allman-Payne (Queensland, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

We're talking about the vilification of trans kids and their families, who we push closer and closer to the risk of self-harm and suicide when we grandstand for anti-trans bigots and the neo-Nazis who support them. We must condemn in the strongest terms platforming what is, at its heart, a cynical and hateful exercise in far-right theatre.

As a teacher for 30 years, I have taught thousands of young people. And I've seen what hate and transphobia does to young people who are discovering their identity. I want those young people to know that we in the Greens have your back and that we will continue to stand up for you both inside and outside this place. We must continue to affirm and celebrate trans kids, ensuring that they feel loved, supported and safe in our schools, our workplaces and our community. We must let them know that this love is felt across Australia—that in the face of this hatred, trans campaigners and allies still outnumber the bigots. We should give real priority to getting gender-affirming health care into Medicare and to strengthening our antidiscrimination laws to better protect trans young people. Trans rights are human rights, and they are nonnegotiable.