Dossier on Impacts of Tasmania Sex Self-ID laws on Women, Girls, Families and LGB people

PRESENTED TO TASMANIAN ATTORNEY GENERAL GUY BARNETT

INTRODUCTION

Women Speak Tasmania (WST) is a women led and woman centred grass roots advocacy body. We campaign for the sex based rights of women in Tasmania. WST believes that biological sex is binary and gives rise to meaningful distinctions between men and women. We are opposed to the legal fiction of sex self-ID (where a person’s sex is changed on their identity documents on the strength of a simple declaration).

This Dossier provides information collated by Women Speak Tasmania that documents the harms of the sex self-ID legislation passed in Tasmania in 2019. In this document we set out a number of categories where sex self-ID has had a negative impact with a short explanation of the impacts. Supporting evidence is provided in the form of links to detailed documents hosted on our website.

This information concerns the evidence for the adverse impacts on women, girls, families, LGB people, public servants, education and health professionals and people from multicultural backgrounds.

Part 4A of the Marriage and Gender Amendments Act 2019 allows for anyone over the age of 16 to change their legal sex by making an application, with only a statutory declaration as evidence.

This allows individuals to alter their legal sex without regard to their physical sex, making it impossible to maintain single-sex provisions. Australian state and federal law has (in the past) allowed for a small number of circumstances where sex discrimination is lawful to promote safety and fairness.

During the consultation period on the Draft Discussion paper on sex self-ID put out by the Tasmanian Law Reform Institute, WST warned of impacts on women and girls based on documented evidence but the precautionary principle was not mentioned in the final Bill fast tracked through State Parliament.

As the law stands, the protected characteristic of ‘gender identity’ trumps both gender and sex. Biological sex, as is same sex attraction, are now considered to be irrelevant under federal and Tasmanian laws. 

Sex self-ID laws have ushered in a new form of homophobia and a license for transactivists to promote hatred of women and men who do not believe in gender ideology.

Sex self-ID is facilitated by legislation at the federal and state levels. We have set out the the evidence base for the need to amend the Sex Discrimination Act 1984 Cth (SDA) and the Anti Discrimination Act 1998 Tas (AAD).

Desired Outcomes

This evidence base demonstrates the need to repeal sex self-ID laws, properly define the difference in law between biological sex and gender and reinstate sex as a protected characteristic under Tasmanian Law as well as in the federal Sex Discrimination Act.

WST proposes the introduction of Tasmanian legislation to repeal sex self-ID laws, to properly define the difference in law between biological sex and gender and reinstate sex as a protected characteristic in Tasmanian Law.

An example of this kind of legislation is a bill tabled by former Legislative Council Member Ivan Dean to amend the Justice and Related Legislation (Marriage Amendments) Bill 2018 (Bill No 47). The bill proposed the alternative Gender Recognition Certificates. It was briefly debated in March 2019 without being passed. 

Why Anecdotal and Secondary Evidence?

WST is a wholly volunteer organisation and we receive no funding. Our primary purpose is campaigning for sex-based rights in Tasmania. We are a visible organisation and despite having no formal research capacity, impacted individuals contact us in a bid to have their stories documented and retold. Hundreds of women, and men, have told us of their fears of speaking out due to reprisals and threats to: employment and future employment prospects, membership of organisations and professional bodies, being denounced as a transphobic bigot, connections with schools and universities, loss of friends and family members.

THE HARMS OF SEX SELF-ID IN TASMANIA

Freedom of speech and association and media bias

Women in Tasmania have been subjected to violence, repeated breaches of Anti-discrimination and Human Rights law: assault, persecution, mob intimidation and vilification, smear campaigns, abuse, cancelation and defamation by trans activists and their lobby groups. 

Women’s freedom of speech and association, right to safe and lawful assembly, access to goods and services and protection by Tasmania Police have been severely impacted by introduction of sex self-ID laws.

Tasmanian media, except for the Examiner, The Australian and 7HOFM, have failed to report impartially on our public opposition to sex self-ID laws or not at all.  The media and particular journalists have played a major role in ensuring no critique of sex self-ID laws is put to air or print because they claim in doing so ‘this would harm trans people’.

The horrific events at the Let Women Speak event held on 21 March 2023 outside Parliament House, viewed by some politicians, are recorded in detail on video footage and from photos taken by many people, including journallists, on the day. Calls to the Police Minister Felix Ellis’ office to intervene on the day failed to get a response.  Calls on the Minister to hold an inquiry into Police inaction on the day to protect women from violence, threats and intimidation fell on deaf ears.  Felix Ellis refused repeated requests to meet with us to present our evidence.

Video of the event:

Recently, members of WST booked a forum at the Burnie Library to discuss the findings of England’s Dr. Hilary Cass review especially with regards to puberty blockers and cross sex hormones. Burnie Library canceled the forum without providing a legitimate reason. 

Full correspondence with Burnie Library:

The new guidelines implemented by Salamanca Market following a lawful WST Media Conference at the fountain at Salamanca, show that the trans lobby have been relentless over the years in attempts to prevent WST from organising and speaking out:

Robin Banks, former Anti Discrimination Commissioner, went to extraordinary lengths to ensure that WST was cancelled from speaking at a Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom Human Rights week forum in December 2018, (also reported in The Australian) as this email from Ms Banks to Secretary of WILF attests:

It is common for trans rights activists to threaten ‘reputational damage’ of  those they are  targeting who do not comply with their demands. Robin Banks used this same tactic with WILPF.

An overview of the demise of media freedom on these issues especially in Tasmania:

Hobart City Council Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds, former Councillor Helen Burnett now Member of the Legislative Council  and Councillor Zelinda Sherlock  failed attempts to push Council to ban the Coalition for Biological Reality forum on 28 February 2022.

RTI documents obtained by WST have shown Anna Reynolds resorted to advising Working It Out to request Hobart City Council fly the trans flag on the day of the forum. Yet, in a Statutory Declaration signed by the Lord Mayor she claims to have taken no action in relation to the organisation of the flying of the trans flags.   We understand that lying in a Statutory Declaration is a criminal offence.

Senator Claire Chandler had a complaint dropped against her over statements she made in support of single sex change rooms: 

Trans rights activists, including several Councillors with Hobart City Council, have orchestrated a sustained campaign to punish and prevent Cr Louise Elliot from speaking publicly or writing about sex based rights.   These actions have amounted to Lawfare or Strategic Legal Action Against Public Speech (SLAAPS). Invariably some matters have been withdrawn prior to hearing incurring thousands of dollars in costs to Cr Elliot:

In October 2020 UTAS refused to publish University of Queensland Dean of Law Prof Patrick Parkinson’s paper on transgender laws because it referred to “biological ” sex and does not “advance human rights”.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/higher-education/university-of-tasmania-censored-paper-on-transgender-laws-says-academic/news-story/dde78d78fcf14f6fcdf752756f57333b?amp=

This matter continues on from  UTAS Law School rejection of requests from Women Speak Tasmania to speak at a 2019 Law School Forum on sex self-ID laws prior to the passing of the laws in Tasmania.

At least two other UTAS people have left their positions because of the mandating of transgenderist ideology and the immense pressure they were placed under to comply.

The 2023 Chistopher Dawson Centre for Cultural Studies Annual Colloquium was banned from holding their event at the Jane Franklin Hall because of a quote in their newsletter which stated:

‘school children are taught to believe that girls can be boys, that boys can be girls, and that grown-ups should be punished for denying it.’

also

Catholic intellectual group banned for transgender views

In April 2023 A Catholic intellectual group was banned from holding its annual forum at a university hall over concerns about its views on transgender issues.

Single sex spaces: Toilets, change rooms and intimate spaces 

The erosion of legal protections for single-sex intimate spaces contravenes women’s right to safe spaces and impacts the effectiveness of provisions taken to safeguard children. This causes significant distress to parents.

The exclusion of women from consultations on toilet/change facilities was highlighted by LGB Tasmania spokesperson Jessica Hoyle at a protest outside the Hobart Aquatic Centre attended by  Glenorchy Alderman and retired teacher Harry Quick and former Hobart Alderman and teacher Jeff Briscoe.:

https://www.examiner.com.au/story/8072207/protest-staged-over-transgender-access-to-change-rooms

There is anecdotal evidence of women and girls simply electing to not participate in public life where safe single-sex intimate spaces are not available. In December 2024, two women reported to WST that men entered the women’s toilets they were in and were too afraid to take action and left. WST has obtained a copy of an email by one of these women who wrote to the Attorney General with a formal complaint.

The Office of Anti Discrimination Commissioner (OADC) website states that discrimination is allowed in order to provide special services to people on the basis of gender identity. But, there is no exception on the basis of sex to provide for the safety and dignity of females in Tasmania or those who contest the legitimacy of gender ideology as a theory that should be institutionalised in our society and all required to conform to.

The following example is from the OADC website, showing that female-only intimate spaces are not supported in Tasmanian Law:

The law in action

Caroline was designated male when she was born. She identifies as female. Her new employer asks Caroline to use the men’s toilet instead of the women’s. This is discrimination on the basis of gender identity.

Francis identifies as non-binary and likes to be called ‘they’. Their work colleagues continually refer to them as ‘her’ and ‘she’ despite Francis asking their colleagues to stop. The use of inappropriate pronouns is discriminatory and can cause humiliation and offence. Francis may be able to make a complaint of discrimination and offensive conduct on the basis of gender identity under the Act.

Lesbian Rights 

Lesbian women have a moral right to social spaces and facilities that exclude males. Yet, in 2022, after an appeal lodged by Jessica Hoyle from LGB Tasmania, the Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal upheld a decision to disallow lesbian women from holding same-sex social events.

LGB Tasmania funded a Let kids be kids billboard in Glenorchy.  It was subsequently vandalised by trans rights activists with no investigation by Tasmania Police.

Medical Discrimination and Dehumanization of Women

Some medical practitioners have begun to adopt ‘inclusive language’ when treating patients. The practice avoids using biological terms such as ‘male’ or ‘female’ and instead will refer to patients by their body parts or functions: “uterus-haver”, “menstruator”, “birthing person”, “person with a cervix” et al.

WST has received complaints from many women about the use of ‘inclusive language to describe female anatomical body parts and physiological processes that only pertain to women. This will only discourage women from accessing proper medical care.

Such ornate and technical language is confusing for culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and neurodivergent women. They may not understand that a screening program for “cervix-havers” is directed to them as women, causing them to fall through the cracks.

‘The federal government awarded a $7 million contract to the LGBTQ lobby group the AIDS Council of New South Wales, to produce a women’s cancer campaign using non-gendered language, despite the public health message meant primarily for Indigenous and migrant women.’

In June 2023 The Terry White Chemmart Catalogue which was for items on sale from 1st June until 20th June 2023, contained the page shown in the link below. The section entitled A family affair includes the sentence, ‘The birthing parent is the most important person in the family to be vaccinated.’

We are aware that at least two people who made complaints to Terry White Pharmacy and apparently the catalogues were withdrawn. A company the size of Terry White would not withdraw a catalogue for two complaints.

A woman contacted WST to describe her experience with breast screening at a medical center in Hobart in December 2024. She mentions feeling very angry about a medical pamphlet describing ‘women or people with a cervix’. It is unclear whether women and ‘people with a cervix’ are distinct groups. 

Tasmanian Gender Service

Information obtained by WST under Right To Information highlights the lack of accountability, transparency and duty of care for the proper medical treatment of young people suffering gender distress. This exposes the Government for potential litigation by detransitioners.

Sports

Women from 5 community sporting organisations in Tasmania have come forward to WST and shared their experiences mostly anonymously, these sports are: soccer, netball, cycling, ten pin bowling and lawn bowls. 

Jodie Willett, who is an International and National cycling competitor, spoke out through WST against the inclusion of trans-identified males in competitive cycling.

Recently Sebastian Coe told Sky News he will explore a complete ban on transgender women competing in women’s events at the Olympics if he wins the Presidency of the IOC March 2025 election. Sebastian Coe vowed to launch a manifesto to introduce “science-based policies that safeguard the female category”.

https://news.sky.com/story/lord-coe-to-explore-complete-transgender-ban-in-womens-olympic-events-if-he-becomes-ioc-chief-13276533

With more national sporting organisations banning trans identified males in women’s sports, the following International Sporting bodies have now implemented bans:

World RugbyThe first governing body to restrict trans women in 2020, based on safety concerns

World Athletics – Bans trans women from competing in female world ranking events

World Aquatics – Bars trans women from elite competition if they experienced any part of male puberty

World Netball – Bans trans women from international competition, unless they have “not experienced the biological effects of testosterone”

Union Cycliste Internationale – The governing body for cycling, announced a testosterone limit of 2.5 nmol/L for trans women cyclists

FINA – The governing body for swimming, barred trans women from competing in women’s events.

Based on these developments there should be no impediment for Australian Governments to legislate to protect safety and fairness in women’s and girls’sports.

Prisons & Crime 

Males in Australia are incarcerated at 10 times the rate of females. This is a sex-based pattern that persists regardless of gender identity. When males who claim to be female commit violent crimes, they can apply to be housed in a female prison facility. This is dangerous to the female inmates and violates the United Nations Rules for the Treatment of Women Prisoners (the Bangkok Rules) that stipulates women should have access to single sex accommodations.

Independent media reporting the worrisome trend of males being transferred to women’s prisons: 

Trans identified males have committed violent & sexual crimes in Australia. Many have been remanded to female prison facilities, as detailed in this list: 

https://haveyouheardabout.

Court findings in Devonport – ‘A 30-year-old woman going through a gender change and her 23-year-old male partner have each been convicted of possessing child exploitation material.’

Once again, the precautionary principle has been ignored in favour of privileging male rights. 

Education, students and parental rights

Parents are opting out of public education, concerns about indoctrination of their children with the idea of gender ideology is listed as their first concern. 

Chris Bowditch removed his daughters from public education, his concerns were dismissed by the Principal. He wrote “My local Primary School’s main entrance and office were still full of political and affirmative posters introducing my 6 year old daughter to concepts she has no business knowing about”.

https://chrisbowditch.substack.com/p/the-dark-side-of-the-rainbow-part

https://chrisbowditch.substack.com/p/the-dark-side-of-the-rainbow-part-2

We have received reports that Working It Out (a charity in receipt of $1.4M government funding per annum) gives lectures to teachers about how to recognise signs of respiratory distress evident when pupils are using breast binders. Teachers are not properly trained to give medical care. The Department of Education could be liable if they seem to encourage dangerous practices such as chest binding and fail to safeguard children from harmful practices.

Extracts of a teacher training program here:

Within the Tasmanian DECYP Respectful Relationships and Consent in the Early Years Policy a link is provided to the American organization Planned Parenthood on Page 55. The page was first saved into the archive 2017, during December 2024 the page started archiving a ‘403’ error, this means that the page does still exist, but it is now hidden behind a layer of authentication.  This can be seen in the link below.

https://web.archive.org/web/20241202030342/plannedparenthood.org/learn/parents/preschool

we have found a live version of a similar page

https://www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/parents/preschool/how-do-i-talk-my-preschooler-about-their-body

This organization originally worked in women’s health and abortion rights but has embraced gender ideology and is now one of the biggest suppliers of puberty blockers and cross sex hormones and advice on gender transition surgery in the US. 

Planned Parenthood is currently being sued by numerous detransitioners for advising minors to transition and failing to give proper counselling.

https://www.help.senate.gov/ranking/newsroom/press/ranking-member-cassidy-calls-out-planned-parenthoods-opaque-reporting-and-questions-its-use-of-taxpayer-dollars-to-fund-gender-transition-services

Another concerned parent and teacher wrote to WST about the contents of The Respectful Relationship Education Package for Y7-10 and Y11-12 given by the Tasmanian DECYP. The document contains sensitive material about sexuality, violent behaviours and porn.

An anonymous Tasmanian teacher has published a detailed blog on the rollout of gender ideology in Tasmanian schools , how it remains a contested ideology, and their impacts on children’s mental health, added stress load for teachers and their duty of care:

https://justiceforwomenandgirls.blogspot.com/2025/01/early-years-decyp-respectful-relations.html

On secrecy and lack of parental rights Anon writes: 

‘Supported and paid by the state government of Tasmania to deliver ‘The Growing Up Program’ and ‘Secondary Comprehensive Sexuality Program’ to students in Tasmanian schools, Family Planning Tasmania remains a closed shop to parents wanting to know any detail about what they present to students in their FPT Programs‘ A game of hide and seek

Though on the surface, the idea of students being aware of their growing bodies and how to safeguard themselves is a great thing, problems arise when parents ask to actually see and read the materials delivered to their child.

Ducking and weaving to get answers about their schools programs, it took weeks to get any sort of answer from this organisation.’

https://justiceforwomenandgirls.blogspot.com/2025/01/keeping-secrets-from-parents-family.html

Anon writes:

‘WIO seeks to normalise a girl’s discomfort with their developing bodies (gender dysphoria) by educating teachers to affirm and support ‘chest binding’ to promote participation in sport and PE. This is despite no retail outlet (KMART or Rebel Sport etc.) selling binders due to health risks.

The uncomfortable reality however, is that binding a girl’s breasts leads to tissue damage and further medicalisation, cementing a girl’s rejection of her body.’

about Working It Out:

‘WIO is a cheerleader and driver of girls’ bodies being medicalised’.

Adding to an already turbulent adolescent phase for girls, WIO is given front and centre access to Tasmanian schools, disseminating damaging information to students and teachers, in the guise of ‘support’ and ‘diversity’ at a time when girls in particular are most vulnerable: puberty.

WIO is not a medical organisation –  it acts with the confidence of one. It preaches kindness, but takes a hard line against the safety of women and girls, using Tasmania’s Education Department’s (DECYP) own policy documents to whip teachers and students into line. 

WIO should be removed from delivering any information to staff and students and be defunded because of its harmful content.’

https://justiceforwomenandgirls.blogspot.com/2025/01/the-organisation-working-it-out-is-in.html

Economic Boycotts and threats to employment 

While WST has anecdotal evidence of threats of economic boycotts and threats to employment we have been contacted by several people to share their stories several of whom would be willing to provide a statement confirming these events:

1. Prior to a WST forum booked for the Friends Meeting House, Quakers, on 18 March 2019, a member of staff from both Cassy O’Connor MP and David O’Byrne MP offices contacted the Friends Meeting House and threatened to damage their reputation and that of Friends School to ensure no parents would send their children to the school.

2. Over a period of years public servants, especially health professionals and educators, have been sent to re-education at Working It Out because they had not complied with compelled speech or supported diktats on gender ideology in the workplace. Complaints were made to their superiors that they were unfit to hold the position they did and should be sacked. It is not known the long term outcome of these employee’s positions in the public service.

3. In 2020 Katie Warren lost her job with the band Yoni and the Steamers after a facebook post she made concerning child safeguarding, trans ideology and books normalising child abuse in the LGBTQI community:

4. A Security firm contracted for the Coalition for Biological Reality Forum in February 2022 telephoned a member of WST a month before the forum went ahead, to explain to us that they had to withdraw from providing security as they had been telephoned by a very wealthy, high profile Hobart client who threatened that they would take their business elsewhere if they went ahead to provide security for the forum. The owner of the firm explained that as his client provided 80% of his business and therefore he could not provide the services. WST made inquiries of 14 Security firms and eventually found a firm in Launceston. At no time has any non government organisation which hired Town Hall facilities been required to pay for 4 Security personnel as a result of threats by any opposing organisation.

5. On 13 March 2023, Mark Westfield, Editor of the Examiner was sacked, according to media reports, over his failure  to establish the veracity of the Letter to the editor that he had authorised to be published regarding a man in the women’s change room at the Launceston pool. Then Launceston Mayor Danny Gibson claimed “confirmed the council had never received a complaint about a transgender woman using female change rooms.”

and for the facts on the ABC interview with Mark Westfield

http://live-productions.wcms.abc-cdn.net.au/

6. A Hobart businessman has told WST that on two occasions he has had trans rights activists pass by his business shouting out to customers that “don’t buy from him, he’s a transphobe, he hates trans people”. There is a witness to these events prepared to sign a Statutory Declaration. Trans rights activists again, defaming citizens and promoting hate with impunity.

7. At least two teachers in Hobart had complaints made against them by trans rights activists who wanted them to be dismissed. The reasons given were because of their public views or questions asked during professional training on diversity and inclusion. Subsequent investigations by Principles found no cause to discipline the teachers. Nevertheless, the complaints were a form of harassment and intimidation in order to enforce teacher compliance, deter them from asking any questions and silence them.

It is now understood that social transitioning in schools is in fact medical transitioning and teachers and the education system have no place in the delivery of health services they are not qualified to provide.

As more and more Tasmanians become aware of the damage that is being done to the mental health of their children and the unreasonable levels of stress teachers are being placed under through indoctrination in our schools, the more they are beginning to speak out. 

Summary  

The Federal and Tasmanian Governments have a duty of care to ensure that the harmful impacts of gender ideology on the Tasmanian community must be investigated by a fully empowered Commission of Inquiry into these matters.

The laws enabling sex self-ID will need to be repealed, the Federal Sex Discrimination Act amended to properly define what sex is, and alternative legislation for gender recognition certificates as suggested in the Introduction to this Dossier.

Women Speak Tasmania

20 January 2025