
A feminist group opposed to trans ideology is claiming censorship after the Burnie Library cancelled a forum organised for Thursday to discuss the use of puberty blockers in Tasmania.
Women Speak Tasmania (WST) spokesperson Isla MacGregor said the forum was organised to warn parents of the risks of the use of gender medicine.
But the library cancelled WST’s booking on Monday morning, saying that the content of the forum did not meet the library’s policy on supporting diversity and inclusion.
In a letter to WST, Burnie Library operations coordinator Alison Burgess also suggested that the forum would pose a threat to staff and library clients.
“The safety and the wellbeing of staff and clients need to be taken into account,” the letter read.
“I ask that you also remove advertising that has noted the Burnie Library as the location of meeting as soon as possible.”
The event organisers are now seeking a new venue for the event, scheduled for Thursday morning.
Ms MacGregor said there was an emerging “global medical scandal concerning puberty blockers” that Tasmanian parents need to discuss.
“The fact that the library is suggesting that the staff and public might feel unsafe is ridiculous,” she said.
The library’s decision to cancel the forum came on Monday, within the first 90 minutes of the first business day following initial advertising of the event over the weekend.
She suggested that complaints from the “gender lobby” influenced the library’s decision.
“As we have seen on numerous occasions, the gender lobby will stop at nothing to silence the debate that we must have.”
She said Tasmania’s gender self-ID laws were ultimately to blame for what she claimed was censorship of legitimate discussion.
“These laws have resulted in the worst attack on free speech Tasmania could ever have imagined,” she said.
Equality Tasmania spokesperson Rodney Croome said his organisation played no role in the library’s decision.
“Equality Tasmania was not aware of the proposed meeting in Burnie and played no role in its cancellation,” he said.
But Libraries Tasmania has a “very clear” LGBTIQA+ inclusion policy, he said.
“Unfortunately, Women Speak Tasmania has an agenda that seeks to exclude trans and gender diverse people from sport, services and affirming health care, which is clearly inconsistent with Libraries Tasmania’s policy.
“I am a strong supporter of free speech, but much of the material disseminated by Women Speak Tasmania is harmful, inaccurate and pseudo-scientific and shouldn’t have the imprimatur of a government agency that provides an essential service to the entire community.”
WST and others have recently called for an inquiry into the Tasmanian Gender Service, including its role in prescribing controversial gender medicine to Tasmanian children.
Ms McGregor said four countries in Europe and over a dozen US states have banned the use of puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones for minors.
In the UK, a review conducted by the National Health Service found that there was insufficient evidence for the safety and effectiveness of puberty blockers.
Source: The Examiner
https://www.examiner.com.au/story/8561060/women-speak-forum-on-puberty-blockers-cancelled-by-library