The Trans pageant which takes place in Melbourne this weekend has been branded “irresponsible” 

Campaigners have criticised a transgender beauty pageant which offers the winner gender reassignment surgery in a Thai hospital.

The Miss Gay and Ms Transsexual Australia 2016 pageant are part of the Midsumma festival, an LGBT event run by volunteers.

The president of the Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons, Hugh Bartholomeusz, has said that offering the surgery as the pageant’s main prize is “irresponsible”.

He said it: “trivialises something that should be only undertaken after careful consideration and research.”

“Gender reassignment is not something to be entered into lightly and requires multiple expert consultations with both surgeons and psychologists,” he added.

“The Society also warns Australians that any form of surgery carries risks and when people travel overseas for operations there are less likely to be appropriate cooling off periods and adequate provision for aftercare should complications occur.”

Organiser of the Midsumma festival Gayzha Davao has defended the pageant, saying it exists to “promote awareness” of trans issues.

He told the Herald Sun: “I’m not really in a position to say whether the hospitals in Thailand would be inferior compared to Australia because they’re all good hospitals.

“They’re also really quick, and I think the hospital is really safe; we’ve had people who went there and got good results.”