Hers was a landmark case in the Family Court of Australia. Because of it – and a later appeal – transgender children no longer have to go through the expensive and time-consuming court process if they have parental and medical consent.

But they do still have to get the court's permission to access the second stage of treatment, cross-sex hormone therapy. Stone went back to court last year to apply for these drugs after her testosterone levels suddenly spiked, signalling her body was about to go into male puberty.

She was ultimately successful, but said the process of getting the court to rubber stamp approval of the drugs recommended by her doctors was a traumatic experience. "I started seeing changes in my body again and got really scared, really paranoid," the 16-year-old said. "I'd cry every night."

"I was afraid that my voice would break, I was afraid that I would appear masculine. I was frustrated that this was all happening again."

Australia is the only country in the world requiring transgender people under the age of 18 to apply to the Family Court for access to cross-hormone therapy. Stone has been campaigning with her family to change that law and earlier this year she travelled to Canberra to lobby politicians for legislative reform.

On Friday night the year-10 student was crowned this year's GLBTI Person of the Year at the third annual GLOBE community awards in Melbourne. She was recognised for her advocacy work and devotion to transgender rights.

The other finalists in the Gay and Lesbian Organisation of Business and Enterprise awards were Micah Scott, chief executive of youth LGBTI organisation Minus 18, and Brett Bowen, a youth development officer in Wyndham.

"Georgie is changing the world," GLOBE president David Micallef said. "She has put herself front and centre, at a very young age, to represent a part of our community that faces extreme barriers and discrimination."

Born George, Stone identified as a girl from the age of three and was diagnosed with gender dysphoria when she was seven years old.

After being granted puberty blockers when she was 10 her parents Rebekah and Greg appealed the Family Court's jurisdiction to approve treatment for transgender children. In 2013 the family had a partial victory when it was decided that only the first of the two stages needed to be signed off by the court.

Stone has said that if she had been prevented from taking cross-sex hormones she would have wanted to end her life and that other transgender youth might turn to the black market for the drugs if they could not afford to go to court or wait for a ruling.

"It could be that it's just taking too long and they can't wait for the court system to catch up and they need this medication now or it's going to have disastrous affects on their body," she said. "It's really dangerous but I can see why people are willing to do that."

Stone's mother said going through court was a harrowing experience for her daughter because "she was up against her own biology".

"It's extremely stressful and a very pathologising experience," Ms Robertson said. "Having to go cap in hand to a court to ask for something that children in every other compatible country in the world are given access to without court orders made her feel discriminated against."

Ms Robertson, who was a finalist in the GLOBE awards' "Straight Ally of the Year" category, said she was "super proud" of her daughter's achievements.

"I think Georgie is going to have a fantastic life," she said. "She's enthusiastic about her future, she's smart, kind, funny, ambitious, so the sky's the limit for Georgie Stone."

Lifeline: 13 11 14

Transcend

Gender Help for Parents