Parents and professionals carried No over the line by eight votes, leaving the chamber almost perfectly divided over where protection ends and criminal law begins. The result sounded less like a settled view than a collision between fears of coercion and fears of state intrusion.
The floor’s most-respected No case warned that the bill could “stop parents from fully participating in their child’s development”. Other No voters described its reach as making “conversation and exploration basically illegal”, while a quieter objection was simply that “more thought is required”.
Yes voters argued that the bill was needed precisely because coercion can be dressed up as care. The strongest Yes case made the stark claim that “Modern medicine is not able to change sex”, while another insisted that “no one should have the right to try and force me to be anything else”; the two sides were often debating different harms.
The wider argument is the familiar rights question in a particularly combustible form: how far should the state go to prevent abuse when parents, clinicians and individuals may dispute what counts as treatment, guidance or pressure? The most respected arguments on both sides were less interested in the bill’s drafting than in the boundary around autonomy, with No warning that it would “take choice away”.
This was a narrow verdict, but not an ambiguous debate: the room wanted protection in principle and remained unconvinced about this legislation in practice.
20 Opinions
Modern medicine is not able to change sex. Sex is coded in every cell, internal organs, biochemistry, and finally reproductive and sexual organs. Very rare cases of genetic disease are moved to the background by trans activism. Experiments where healthy organs are mutilated and natural biological processes distorted by giving hormones should be a criminal offence, especially when children and young adults are subjects.
This bill will stop parents from fully participating in their child’s development. Should their young primary school aged child say they are the opposite sex and the parents rightly assume it’s a phase, and the child says something about it to a trusted adult (teacher?), the parents could end up on the wrong side of the law. As far as I’m aware there’s already an act regarding gay conversion, so this one is to stop trans conversion which seems anti gay rights
The Bill as it stands currently is too broad and includes conflicting situations. Talking therapy for children struggling with puberty would be included, which is not the same as gay teens being pressured into hiding their sexuality.
You cannot change sex/gender. All you can do is chop bits off or add bits on. The bill is not for the LGB community it's for the mentally ill trans people who don't want to be told they cannot change their sex. Wear a dress and makeup if you want but you are not a woman anymore than me in greasy overalls or work boots makes me a man. Trans people need therapy to help them understand they cannot change sex/gender.
This awful bill makes conversation and exploration basically illegal.
Yet again silly theories are reaching into the private affairs of individuals and legislation suggested as the only mechanism to achieve compliance. This would be a gross overstep in an area that deserves little state involvement when much more pressing issues should absorb government time and attention.
All the practices that are harmful or abusive are already illegal under other statutes. Moreover this takes choice away from same sex attracted/gender dysphoric people, the number of detransitioners coming out now should kill this legislation dead.
Some of the comments on this topic reveal just why it is necessary to protect people from half baked notions and concepts of what “makes” people gay. As a gay person I simply am gay - end of discussion and no one should have the right to try and force me to be anything else just because they believe something or have ridiculous notions that you can de-gay people. What business is it of one individual to think they should have any say in someone else’s sexual orientation?
The majority of gay people will tell you that there are many in the gay scene, not because they are gay, but because of some kind of trauma, often sexual abuse or a bad breakup in a relationship. The idea that people are born gay is a myth. Yes, some are, but many have been groomed at a time when they were confused about their sexuality, a stage many teenagers go through.
People should be free to be who they are without being subjected to coercive attempts to change them.