Child, four, is given state aid to help in ‘gender transition’

A CHILD of four who identifies as transgender is receiving help in Australia to undergo transition.

The youngster, who is not due to start pre-school until next year, has been given a support package by the New South Wales department of education.

The state government has revealed a big rise in the number of children undergoing gender transition.

Referral patients have tripled at its gender service department in Westmead children’s hospital, Sydney.

The gender dysphoria unit at a major hospital in Melbourne is assisting about 250 children — the youngest just three.

The deputy secretary of school operations in New South Wales, Gregory Prior, said helping transgender children was part of the education department’s Safe Schools programme.

“We have a number of students who are going through gender transition in our schools, with the youngest being a four-year-old at the moment,” said Mr Prior.

Transgender advocate and Australian of the Year finalist Catherine McGregor advised caution and said proper checks needed to be in place to ensure that premature mistakes were not made.

“I would have thought four years old is pretty young for any official policy support,” she said.

“In my experience, kids with strong cross-gender identification tend to get it right.

“However, I can understand there would be caution on the part of the department and medical practitioners on making any irreversible decisions at that stage.”

Clinical psychologist Rose Cantali said the age of four was “absolutely too early” for a child to change gender.

“I’d be very hesitant and other psychologists would say the same. Everything is developmental at that age.”