Women Speak Tasmania

Tag: gender identity

  • Minister Gallagher Must Listen to Women as Stakeholders in Women’s Rights

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    During Senate Question Time, Senator Pauline Hanson pressed the Minister for Women, Katy Gallagher, on the impact of amendments to the Sex Discrimination Act (SDA). Senator Hanson highlighted how the 2013 Gillard Government’s changes—replacing biological definitions with gender identity—have created a legal minefield, eroding protections for women in sport, services, and female-only spaces. Minister Gallagher’s…

  • Restoration of Sexed-Based Protections and Rights for Women and Girls – Letter to Katy Gallagher

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    Dear Minister Gallagher, Re: Female stakeholders demand urgent restoration of sexed-based protections and rights for women and girls in Australia We write as a coalition of independent feminist organisations who are direct and essential stakeholders in all matters impacting the rights, representation, and realities of us in Australia. Our coalition represents a cross-section of advocacy…

  • When Sex Lost Its Meaning: How the 2013 Amendments to the Sex Discrimination Act Weakened Women’s Rights

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    In 1984, Australia passed the Sex Discrimination Act, a landmark piece of legislation that recognised the reality of sex and sought to protect women against discrimination on the basis of being female. It acknowledged pregnancy, family responsibilities, and the need for single-sex provisions in areas such as sport and women’s services. But nearly thirty years…

  • Doctor’s Case for Science in Teen Gender Dysphoria Care

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    Riittakerttu Kaltiala didn’t know how divisive transgender politics was until she called out the use of puberty blockers Finnish psychiatrist Riittakerttu Kaltiala holds a unique and important position in the treatment of gender dysphoria. She has had a front-row seat for the introduction and subsequent rollback of gender-affirming care in her native Finland across the…

  • When Sex Becomes Gender: How Tasmania’s Law Rewrites Women’s Rights

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    In 2019, the Tasmanian Parliament passed the Justice and Related Legislation (Marriage and Gender Amendments) Act. At first glance, the law looks like a technical update—modernising language, expanding anti-discrimination protections, and creating new processes for recording gender. But beneath the surface, it redefines the way the law understands sex and gender—with profound consequences for women…

  • As Mel’s gender ‘ricocheted’, she went under a surgeon’s knife

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    A woman is suing the doctors who performed her gender treatment, claiming she could not have given informed consent. A young woman who thought for years she was non-binary or a transgender man is suing two doctors and Monash Health for negligence, claiming gender treatment that included having both breasts surgically removed had caused her…

  • Analysis of Gender Questioning Children and Family Law: An Evolving Landscape

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    Introduction This paper provides an overview of the challenges faced by the family law profession in Australia when dealing with matters involving gender identity in children and adolescents. Drawing on recent research, medical reviews, and legal precedents, it highlights the contested nature of gender-affirming approaches, the risks of medical intervention, and the crucial role of…

  • Ensuring Fair Competition in Women’s Sport – Letter to Jo Palmer

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    Letter sent to Jo Palmer on 15 March 2025 Dear Ms Palmer, I am a Tasmanian resident, father of 2 daughters and a tax paying worker. Today I became aware that one of our schools, Lindisfarne North Primary, recently allowed a boy to compete in the girls events at their sports day. And, predictably, he…

  • Rape is rape regardless of sexual orientation, non-binary offender told

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    A North-West offender has been jailed for rape with the judge telling them that unconsensual sex was a crime regardless of the form in which it was committed. The offender, who cannot be named, was sentenced in the Supreme Court in Burnie on Tuesday. The offender identifies as non-binary and their victim identifies the same…

  • Opinion: Who is doing the fear-mongering?

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    Rodney Croome’s predictions about the Coalition rolling out a trans fear campaign and a looming culture war in the lead up to the coming federal election (Canberra Times 10 Jan 2025), tell us that many in the LGBTQA+ community are nervous about the implications of the US election on voter sentiment in Australia. While Rodney…