We are sharing a letter to the Australian Human Rights Commission sent to us by a supporter of our page. The writer of this letter decided to communicate their concerns to the AHRC after seeing a letter on this page regarding the decision by the AHRC NOT to allow the Lesbian Action Group to hold a born-female only event.
We have said our goal is awareness raising but if concerned citizens not only become aware of the issues but then go on to taking action by writing letters this is fantastic.
Dear Sir/Madam,
I am writing to you today to voice my concern regarding the Australian Human Rights Commission’s (AHRC) recent decision to deny the Lesbian Action Group’s request for an exemption under the Sex Discrimination Act 1984 (SDA) so that they can hold lesbian-only events.
Before I get started, let me make clear that I am a 51 year old woman, married to a man, mother of two children and living in Perth, Western Australia. I am not a lesbian and I have no ties to the Lesbian Action Group. I am just a member of the community who is concerned with the direction that Australian society has been taking over the last few years, and I feel that this decision is discriminatory.
I understand that the issue of gender ideology has been a hot political topic both in Australia and internationally in recent years, and I understand that there is substantial support for the trans community from regular Australians. I’m not surprised at this support because most regular Australians are decent human beings, they want to be kind and considerate and inclusive of other Australians. But there are also boundaries that need to be drawn. Being inclusive of one group of people in society should not be to the detriment of another group, which is what is happening here.
The group in question here is lesbian women. A lesbian is a woman who is attracted to and prefers intimate relationships with other women. They are not attracted to men, or to men who believe they are women, and they should not be precluded from holding events that are organised specifically for members of their community just because of who they choose to love. I thought this fight was held and won decades ago.
As per your own website, the definition of “human rights” is:
Human rights recognise the inherent value of each person, regardless of background, where we live, what we look like, what we think or what we believe.
They are based on principles of dignity, equality and mutual respect, which are shared across cultures, religions and philosophies. They are about being treated fairly, treating others fairly and having the ability to make genuine choices in our daily lives.
Respect for human rights is the cornerstone of strong communities in which everyone can make a contribution and feel included.
By forcing the Lesbian Action Group to make this application in the first place, you are not treating women with dignity or respect, and by making this decision you are not recognising the inherent value of women who choose to love other women. You are not allowing these women to make genuine choices about their daily lives, instead, you are telling them that they cannot gather or hold events in public places. Well, they can gather in public places as long as they include men who believe they are women, which completely goes against the entire point of being a lesbian. You are essentially telling them that they cannot openly participate in Australian society and that in order to avoid potential legal liability they must go underground, back into the closet. Is this the official position of the Australian Human Rights Commission?
If the Australian Human Rights Commission cannot respect the rights of lesbian women, how can we expect anyone else to? How can we be confident that the AHRC will respect the rights of any woman in Australia? Will they protect the safety, security and dignity of biological women when members of the trans community want to use single sex spaces that have been reserved for women? Will they protect us if and when members of the trans community attack (either verbally or physically), or harass women to the point of losing their jobs and families? Not to be a scaremonger, but there have been many, many examples in Australia and overseas where this has happened in recent years. It has gotten to the point where women are frightened to stand up for themselves and speak the truth for fear of retribution. How has this been allowed to happen in modern day Australia?
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that all trans people are pre-disposed to attack women, and in reality, most won’t. I’m sure that the majority of people in the trans community are decent human beings who just want to live their lives. And I believe that they should be allowed to live their lives with dignity, equality and mutual respect, just like anyone else. However, the desires of the trans community cannot be more important than the needs of women. If it’s about equality and fairness, then you need to be mindful of being fair to all members of society, not just one very vocal group.
I call on the Australian Human Rights Commission to review their decision with respect to the Lesbian Action Group’s submission, to remind themselves of the contents of the “Declaration on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women”, proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in November 1967, and stand up for what is right.
Thank you for your time.