Women Speak Tasmania

Tag: 2018

  • Reclaim the Night – Is It Still About Women?

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    Tonight’s Hobart Reclaim the Night rally is one of many that occur around Australia every year. The concept originated as a means for women to express public solidarity with each other and reclaim their right to be out in public after dark without being in constant fear of sexual or other assault. Women began these…

  • Women Call for Parliamentary Inquiry into Transgender Law Reforms

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    Women Speak Tasmania briefed honourable members of the Legislative Council today, offering our perspective on Labor and the Greens’ proposed amendments to the Justice and Related Legislation (Marriage Amendments) Bill 2018.  ‘We outlined the very real negative impacts on the rights of female persons to safe, female-only spaces if biological male persons are able to become…

  • Labor and the Greens ‘Win’, But Democracy Loses

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    When we go to the ballot box and vote, we have an expectation that those we elect will at least try to represent our interests. We assume that any debate in parliament, particularly if the issue is contentious, will be as well-informed as it can possibly be. On 20 November, we saw Labor and the…

  • The Mercury – PR Machine for the Trans Lobby?

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    In recent weeks, Hobart’s Mercury newspaper has featured a number of articles and longer form stories showcasing the trans rights lobby group, Transforming Tasmania. Transforming Tasmania is behind a number of radical amendments to birth registration and anti-discrimination laws put forward by Labor and the Greens in the Tasmanian parliament this week. Those amendments have…

  • The Trans Rights Debate – Who’s Peddling the ‘Hate’?

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    Emily Baker’s recent article in the Mercury titled ‘Penis stickers labelled hateful: Anger at anti-transgender campaign’ quoted Transforming Tasmania representative, Martine Delaney’s, opinion of the stickers. Delaney said the stickers expressed a view ‘actively promoted by only extremely conservative Christian groups and a very small percentage of women – TERFS (trans exclusionary radical feminists) –…

  • Transgender Campaign Misinformation Continues

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    Roen Meijers of Transforming Tasmania continues to be confused about the issue of Birth Certificate registrations as it is not gender that is recorded, but sex. Additionally, the Options Paper on transgender law reform released for public consultation by former Anti-discrimination Commissioner, Robin Banks, in 2016 was only that – an Options Paper. The consultation…

  • Tasmanian Women’s Services Support Trans Law Reform, Then Shut Down Online Debate

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    On 7 November, four Tasmanian Women’s Services – Women’s Legal Service Tasmania, Engender Equality, Hobart Women’s Shelter and Women’s Health Tasmania – issued a statement in support of Labor and the Greens proposed transgender law reforms. In that statement, Women Speak Tasmania was roundly criticised for opposing the reforms. “We believe allowing self-identification changes to…

  • Gender hate law sparks free speech fear

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    Today, in an article for The Australian titled “Gender Hate Law Sparks Free Speech Fear” (9 November 2018), journalist Matthew Denholm reported on proposed amendments to Tasmania’s Anti-Discrimination Act that would extend protections against hate speech to include “gender identity” and “gender expression.” The article explained that the proposed changes, put forward by the Labor…

  • Women’s Groups Intentionally Oversimplify the Impacts of Trans Law Reforms

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    Yesterday’s joint statement by Tasmanian women’s groups, Women’s Legal Service Tasmania, Engender Equality, Hobart Women’s Shelter and Women’s Health Tasmania, continues the litany of oversimplified assurances about the benign nature of the radical birth registration and anti-discrimination law reforms proposed by Labor and the Greens. If they want to justify their claim that the amendments…

  • Greens Label Anti-Transgender Stickers Hateful

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    The debate over gender markers on birth certificates has ramped up with anti-transgender stickers described as “hateful and hurtful” appearing throughout Hobart. The stickers are shaped like penises and carry the phrase “Women don’t have penises” Transforming Tasmania spokeswoman Martine Delaney said it was clear the stickers had been distributed by groups looking to deny…