Project 491

Project 491 is an initiative led by AusPATH in response to the Queensland Government’s restriction on gender affirming care (GAC) for trans and gender diverse (TGD) children.

QLD has stopped access to both stage one (puberty blockers) and stage two (hormone therapy) treatments for patients under 18 in the QLD public health system. This decision has left at least 491 children stranded without access to care.  

The Queensland stoppage remains contrary to the current best evidence-based guidelines, and represents a worrying interference in essential healthcare.

While private healthcare providers can still offer care,lower-income families and those young people with more complex health needs are being disproportionately affected.

AusPATH continues to raised, in collaboration with care providers in Queensland and across Australia, to establish multi-disciplinary pathways to ensure affected young people receive timely, evidence-based care.

Project 491 – Your impact, six months on

Dear 491 Donors,

When we launched Project 491 in March, our goal was simple and urgent: to support families who suddenly found themselves excluded from gender affirming care in Queensland’s public health system. Earlier this year, the Queensland Government imposed an arbitrary cut-off date for young people who had not yet received clearance from their multidisciplinary team to begin gender affirming hormones — or most critically, puberty blockers. Those who missed that deadline were locked out of essential, time-sensitive care.

Because of your generosity, we have been able to support more than 20 families who would otherwise have faced that situation alone. That means 20 young people now have a pathway through transition, should the state government continue to restrict public healthcare access in Queensland after November. Your support has given them continuity, safety, and the chance to thrive in an environment where services remain under threat.

Project 491 is the first initiative of its kind in Australia. It has required careful, deliberate steps to build a model of sustained support, because when we commit to a family, we do so knowing that the journey often extends across the critical years of a young trans person’s transition. Australia remains one of the few countries where anti-trans rhetoric has not led to widespread restrictions on care — but Queensland is the exception. Doctors are being targeted, gender services are under relentless scrutiny, and organisations like AusPATH are facing coordinated attacks. In that environment, the existence of Project 491 sends a powerful message: trans young people deserve care, their lives matter, and our community will step up when governments and systems fail them.

The impact of your support is clear in the words of the families themselves:

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“After a few hours of phone calls, I was able to share the good news with my daughter. ‘Guess what.’ Her eyes already beginning to pool, unsure of unexpected announcements. ‘What?’ she responded. ‘Don’t get too excited, but…’ I shared the good news, and she cried again. Thank you! We are truly grateful for the beautiful, loving and supportive community we have around us.”

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“We did not have the means to pay for ongoing care… The guilt we felt was overwhelming. We could never thank everyone enough. It will literally change our young person’s life. Tomorrow is his birthday, and we have the medicine he needs for his appointment Monday. It’s really happening, and it’s because of everyone reading this.”

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“Being able to access immediate care for our young person is literally life changing… I have NEVER seen or heard A speak so positively about life and the future. After our initial session with the doctor they said, ‘I am genuinely excited for the future and where life might go.’ This is a complete turnaround from the person who told me only early this year they would rather be dead.”

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“The last three months have been amazing for our young person. He is doing great at school, good friends and his first ‘A’… We can’t thank you enough for making all this possible or ever know how deeply it impacts all of us.”

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“To have been given financial support from this project has meant the world to us. Not just in a financial sense but emotionally as well. Knowing there are kind people out there sympathetic to the needs of these vulnerable children has given me so much hope.”

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These stories are why Project 491 exists. Every donation has not just been financial support; but a lifeline, a promise of care, and a source of hope for families facing impossible choices.

We are also asking for families and community members in Queensland to help us tell the true story of the life-changing impact of gender affirming care. If you or someone you know has been affected, please take part in AusPATH’s Our Voices Matter Survey. Your stories will help us show what’s at stake and advocate for the care our communities deserve. On behalf of all the families, thank you for making this possible.