"But as I explained to the staff, the needs of the family really had to take priority at this stage and could not easily be met while in such a demanding role," he said. "The law school is doing really well, and I am confident it will go on from strength to strength."

News of the departure comes little over a year since his comments at a Freedom for Faith conference in Sydney sparked revolt among the law faculty in Brisbane.

Presenting a paper to a conference for the group in September last year, he argued religious schools should be free to not accept the "new" gender identity of a child who wanted to transition.

The paper, titled Is Gender Identity Discrimination a Religious Freedom Issue?, drew comparisons between transgender children and those with eating disorders, while attempting to outline "just how many of the ideas strongly promulgated by some in the transgender movement are based upon unscientific beliefs".

Almost 40 law academics then pledged to support transgender students at the university in an open letter. The University of Queensland Law Society also distanced itself from the professor.