Myth Busting: gender affirming surgeries aren’t performed on minors

Under Australian guidelines, people under 18 who receive parental consent (or are declared to have capacity to consent) are eligible for gender affirming surgeries.

As you can see in the RCH treatment guideline’s surgical interventions for trans and gender diverse adolescents), the only type of affirmation surgery that guidelines explicitly recommend delaying until adulthood is genital surgery (often called bottom-surgery).

Claims that gender affirming surgeries are never, or are almost never performed on minors often rely on a narrow definition of affirmation surgery that only includes bottom-surgery.

The truth is, a range of gender affirming surgeries, including mastectomies, breast implants, tracheal shaves and facial surgery are available to Australians under the age of 18.

Plastics surgeons have reported a dramatic rise in minors receiving affirming surgeries, with some surgeons even questioning Australia's lack of regulations.  

In a recording aired by the Desexing Society podcast, an employee at a Brisbane-based clinic confirmed in a phone conversation that it is possible for children as young as 13 to be referred for mastectomies.

Mastectomy’s appear to be one of the most sought after procedures for under 18’s. As far back as 2016, the Family Court permitted a 15-year-old to have a double mastectomy.

Gender-affirming surgeries lack of specific Medicare item numbers, which means that precise data isn't available, but patient reviews, support forums, and the appearance of a huge number of crowdfunding listings for surgery show that many people under 18 are now seek this surgeries.

Phrasing around age requirements for gender affirming surgery is often vague. One plastic surgeon’s website says that teens seeking top-surgery (mastectomies) should “Usually” be older than 16.

Healthdirect.gov.au says top surgery can be performed over the age of 16, but “some surgeons will provide surgery to younger people in very specific situations”

Neither guidelines, nor legislation specify any age limits for these types of surgeries.