Theo Boltman's coming of age has coincided with an often divisive political debate in Canberra.
Theo was 11 during the same-sex marriage postal vote. They came out as gay at 13, then later realised it "didn't feel like enough".
The gender divisions of "boy" and "girl" at school felt "painful and annoying". Gendered spaces felt uncomfortable.
Last year, Theo came to a realisation.
"I can't keep changing my mind and conflicting myself with my body my entire life, so I just decided to jump off the diving board and come out [as trans]," they told 7.30.
Now 16, Theo defines themself as non-binary transgender, at a time when politicians debate whether or not students like them should be protected from discrimination.
"I've been very disappointed," Theo told 7.30.
"The tone of the debate is in no way acknowledging how hard emotionally this is for trans teenagers, and it's just really shocking and difficult to watch."
With the bill shelved until after the election, Theo is searching for an outfit for the formal, going dress shopping with their mother and sister.
Theo's school fully supports them.
Jewish school welcomes trans students
Theo goes to the progressive Jewish school, The King David School, in Melbourne's eastern suburbs.
The school told 7.30 it supported LGBTI students by allowing them to wear pants, skirts or shorts, providing all-gender bathrooms, and changing its use of gendered language around the school.
While some have argued the practicalities of providing for transgender students is complex, King David principal Marc Light says his focus is on supporting everyone at the school.
"It bemuses me that this is a controversial topic," he said.
"The existing law that allows for discrimination is unacceptable.
"I'm deeply uncomfortable that there is debate around this topic because I don't think people's identity should be up for debate."
When asked about how trans students fit in with Judaism, Mr Light said: "Certainly within progressive communities, there is a total emphasis on inclusion."
"Our school's core beliefs are around [the] basic dignity of every human so, both religiously and pragmatically, we're fully aligned with support for all our students."
Attorney-General Michaelia Cash has said single-sex schools would not be adequately equipped to cater for pupils of the opposite sex if a student transitioned. However, some single-sex religious schools have already embraced trans students.
Last year, Melbourne's Xavier College — a boys' school — revealed a year 12 student had transitioned to female.
Writing to parents, the school's principal William Doherty said: "We affirm her in her decision. We welcome the opportunity of companioning her through this challenging and emotional time in her life."
Boys' college Melbourne Grammar School told 7.30: "Any form of discrimination towards those with LGBQTIA+ backgrounds is offensive, unacceptable and has no place whatsoever in any school or in our society."
Wesley College drafts gender policy to support trans pupils
At Melbourne's prestigious Wesley College, where former conservative prime minister Robert Menzies attended as a pupil, rainbow candles were lit in the school's chapel to show support for its LGBTI pupils.
Wesley is affiliated with the Uniting Church.
The school's chaplain told 7.30 the display was a reminder that all students were made in God's image.
Speaking about the religious discrimination bill for the first time, principal Nick Evans told 7.30 the debate had been unfortunate for trans students.
"I was in part puzzled as to why there was a distinction made about transgender kids," he said.
"For me, it's been a part of my educational career since its very start, and this is not a new issue."
Mr Evans previously helped facilitate the student-led Gay-Straight Alliance at Melbourne Grammar School and taught a trans student in the 1990s.
Now at Wesley, he is helping to draft a gender affirmation policy to formalise its support for trans students.
"It's really saying that we respect the right of Wesley College students to choose to be any gender or non-binary and that we will respect that," he said.
Some religious groups have argued they need to ensure teachers and students reflect the ethos of their beliefs, raising questions about whether LGBTI students fit in with certain doctrines.
But Mr Evans said trans students fit in "perfectly" with Wesley's culture.
Discrimination against trans students and people of faith unresolved
The chaotic debate in parliament last week, in which a group of moderate Liberal MPs crossed the floor or abstained because of the lack of protections for trans students, has left both sides frustrated.
The bill has been shelved until after the election and there has been no change to the Sex Discrimination Act, which allows religious schools to discriminate against students according to their sexual orientation or gender identity in the name of their beliefs.
Religious groups too have been left high and dry without the discrimination protections the Prime Minister Scott Morrison promised them in 2018.
Christian Schools Australia told 7.30 it wanted the bill resolved sooner rather than later.
"No-one wants young people excluded simply on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity," public policy director Mark Spencer said.
"But what we do need is the ability as faith-based schools to be able to teach what we believe, to be able to ensure our schools can operate in accordance with those beliefs.
"We'd like whoever wins government after the election to deal with this bill properly."
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