Well Said!

 By Helen Said, Autistic advocate and former Green, Melbourne Australia Queensland Greens founder Drew Hutton was expelled from the Greens last year for refusing to remove anti-trans comments that appeared on one of his facebook posts. He claimed his expulsion from the Queensland Greens was undemocratic, and the party's own lawyers agreed. Hutton's Greens membership was then reinstated. Since then, Hutton has been on a non-stop anti-trans crusade, often making several posts a day, each of which attracts hundreds of comments. While some of his facebook followers' comments are supportive of trans people, most comments are simplistic, ignorant or downright hateful. This commentary has exploded since the pro-trans ruling in the Tickle VS Giggle court case, turning trans people into a political football and ignoring their humanity.  Hutton supports the reintroduction of Pauline Hanson's anti-trans "Sex Discrimination Amendment (acknowledging biological reality) Bill...

By Helen Said, Autistic advocate, Melbourne Australia This is the text of a letter I sent to my local Labor Member of Parliament:  The Tickle VS Giggle court ruling has prompted the Coalition to support legislation that would introduce a British/MAGA style definition of women. Pauline Hanson is also threatening to re-introduce the Sex Discrimination (Acknowledging Biological Reality) Bill. Any such legislation would be disastrous for equality and acceptance of all kinds of women, including women with hormonal differences, other medical conditions and many gender non-conforming women. Women in Britain and the US are now being abused for using the "wrong" toilets if they don't look "feminine". Ironically, while some lesbian separatists support the exclusion of trans women from women's spaces, lesbians are more likely to experience discrimination if these conservative laws are passed. I urge Labor to continue standing firm on trans rights and not to give in to ...

  by Helen Said, Autistic advocate, Melbourne Australia The Australian Federal Court has recently upheld a decision that the female-only App, Giggle for Girls, discriminated against trans woman Roxanne Tickle by excluding her from the App. Many older feminists of my era are horrified by this ruling, as they believe that trans women are men pretending to be women, who make cis women feel unsafe in women's-only spaces, including social spaces, support groups, sports, womens bathroom facilities and women's prisons. But is the science and the hard data on their side? I proudly belong to these organisations which uphold trans rights * Australian Labor Party , whose Victorian Values Statement specifically opposes transphobia * Women With Disabilities Australia , which is run by and for women, girls, feminine identifying and non-binary people with disabilities * Australia & New Zealand Autistic Self Advocacy Network , which recognises the prevalence and rights of LGBTIQ people wit...