Following on from a similar event in June, nine brave women from around the country spoke at the Australian Federal Parliament on Monday at an event about women’s sex-based rights and child safeguarding, hosted by South Australian Senator Alex Antic.
Other senators who attended and spoke in support of the women, were Senator Claire Chandler, Senator Jacinta Price, and Senator Ralph Babet, all of whom have been fierce advocates of truth, common sense, and biological reality.
All of the women who spoke have faced social, economic and legal reprisals for daring to speak out about the harms of gender ideology to women and children, particularly the incursion of men who identify as women into female-only spaces and the medical transitioning of children. The women included from left to right:
Katherine Deves, a lawyer and former Liberal Party candidate who was attacked and vilified during the NSW election by the media and even members of her own party, for defending the sex-based rights of women and girls.
"Speaking about sex has always been controversial, but never more so than this time in history, when the apparatus of the state, the courts, disciplinary processes and quasi-judicial bodies, may be weaponised against those of us who refuse to acquiesce to a movement that is determined to erase us as a legal sex class." -Katherine Deves
Dr Holly Lawford-Smith, a feminist academic who has experienced a relentless campaign against her by trans activists at the University of Melbourne because of her gender critical views.
"Insisting on the right of males to be where they're not wanted is not progressive at all." -Dr Holly Lawford-Smith
Moira Deeming, a politician who has been defamed and expelled from the Victorian Parliamentary Liberal Party by Opposition Leader John Pesutto for attending Melbourne’s Let Women Speak Rally.
“What we have in common is that we have been cancelled and silenced. But above all we are just women together. It doesn’t matter if we’re from the left or from the right. We’ve put everything else aside because this is the most foundational battle that we’ve ever had to face.” -Moira Deeming MP
Sall Grover, a Gold Coast businesswoman who is currently facing a human rights lawsuit for refusing to allow a man who identifies as a woman to use her female-only networking app.
“Politicians could fix this in a week. Remove the 2013 amendments that took out the definition of woman and put the only definition of woman there is back into the Sex Discrimination Act: adult human female." -Sall Grover
Louise Elliot, a Hobart City Councillor who is facing legal action for saying transwomen are biological males and that women have a right to single-sex spaces.
"Australians are kind and accepting people, but we also know what is fair, right and true. Australians know that it's not fair to force women to compete in sports against men. We know it's not fair to force women to accept men in their changerooms. And it is downright wrong to accept men in women's prisons and shelters." -Louise Elliot
Kirralie Smith, the director of Binary Australia who is facing two APVO applications and two vilification complaints for drawing attention to trans-identified males competing in female sports.
"It would appear that women in Australia have less freedoms than males who appropriate female stereotypes of womanhood. When we say no to males in our spaces, services or sports we face threats of legal action, job loss, physical and violent threats, ostracization and intimidation." -Kirralie Smith
Dr Jillian Spencer, a child psychiatrist who was suspended from Queensland’s Children’s Hospital after she questioned the use of puberty blockers without an appropriate mental health assessment.
"It isn't a secret that 15-year-olds are having double mastectomies in Australia." -Dr Jillian Spencer
Angela Jones, a women’s rights advocate who has been defamed, doxed, and harassed for her part in organising Melbourne’s Let Women Speak rally.
“Powerful politicians are afraid to let women speak, because facts are kryptonite to exploitative ideological positions that are based on a lie.” -Angela Jones
Jasmine Sussex, a Melbourne-based breastfeeding counsellor who was sacked from the Australian Breastfeeding Association for using the term ‘mother’ and refusing to help men breastfeed.
"Only mothers breastfeed." -Jasmine Sussex
These women are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to those being persecuted for speaking out about women’s sex-based rights and the welfare of children.
A small gathering of trans activists joined by Greens MPs protested the event on the lawns of Parliament. As usual, the protest received more coverage than the event itself. And as usual, the slurs thrown at the women included “far right”, “Nazis”, “homophobic” etc.
This morning I stood in solidarity with the trans community and their allies on Parliament’s lawn to condemn growing transphobia, homophobia and misogyny. pic.twitter.com/28CtlgEGeU
— Stephen Bates (@stephenbatesmp) September 11, 2023
“This morning I stood in solidarity with the trans community and their allies on Parliament’s lawn to condemn growing transphobia, homophobia and misogyny,” Brisbane Greens MP Stephen Bates tweeted.
“I was proud to stand alongside Canberra’s LGBTIQA+ community to push back against the far right activists inside using transphobia to recruit people to their cause—with willing allies in Parliament and the media helping them do it by stoking a culture war to drive ratings,” said Bates.
When your movement is supported by Nazis, you’re on the wrong side of history.
— Janet Rice (@janet_rice) September 11, 2023
Transphobia has no place in our parliament. It’s shameful that this platforming of hatred, fuelled by the far-right, is being sanctioned by MPs. @Greens stand in solidarity with trans people always🏳️⚧️✊ pic.twitter.com/OjWB36eWHu
Greens Senator Janet Rice, who also attended the protest, tweeted: “When your movement is supported by Nazis, you’re on the wrong side of history. Transphobia has no place in our Parliament. It’s shameful that this platforming of hatred, fuelled by the far-right, is being sanctioned by MPs. Greens stand in solidarity with trans people always.”
Perhaps if they’d listened to what the women had to say, rather than smearing them with absurd slurs, they would have realised that more than half of the speakers were left-wing women, that lesbian women and gay men were among those speaking and in attendance, and that to associate such women with Nazis would be laughable if it weren’t so slanderous and harmful.
Women’s advocates, including some of the speakers, took to social media to condemn the slurs, particularly the Nazi smear by Senator Rice.
It is time to stop calling women Nazis & saying that women are supported by Nazis. Both are demonstrable lies, putting women in real danger.
— Sall Grover (@salltweets) September 11, 2023
You’re welcome to engage with our arguments. But if you have to lie, you’ve lost the argument @janet_rice.
I await your response @Greens. pic.twitter.com/A4zcQx1CeW
“It is time to stop calling women Nazis & saying that women are supported by Nazis. Both are demonstrable lies, putting women in real danger. You’re welcome to engage with our arguments. But if you have to lie, you’ve lost the argument @janet_rice,” said Sall Grover, who also wrote a complaint to the Greens Party.
Your anti-women rhetoric is very sad. Your anti-truth, anti-reality stance is harmful. Lying to people is cruel and dangerous. No one can change their sex. Women deserve single-sex spaces. You are embarrassing yourself.
— Kirralie Smith (@KirralieS) September 11, 2023
“Your anti-women rhetoric is very sad. Your anti-truth, anti-reality stance is harmful. Lying to people is cruel and dangerous. No one can change their sex. Women deserve single-sex spaces. You are embarrassing yourself,” said Kirralie Smith.
What an appalling thing to say @janet_rice careful your disrespect for our Jewish community is showing. Maybe check your facts on neo fascist ideology on women before next you tweet. You @Greens share the desire for women as walking wombs.
— jazzmo (@jazzmoi3) September 11, 2023
“What an appalling thing to say @janet_rice careful your disrespect for our Jewish community is showing. Maybe check your facts on neo fascist ideology on women before next you tweet. You @Greens share the desire for women as walking wombs,” said Jasmine Sussex.
There are trans identifying men in @Greens who support Nazis & paedophiles but @janet_rice doesn’t condemn them.
— Angie Jones (@angijones) September 11, 2023
She condemns women defending single sex spaces for vulnerable women and child safeguarding.
Watch our speeches before you mouth off Janet!
https://t.co/PsysJ4xDm9
“There are trans identifying men in @Greens who support Nazis & pedophiles but @janet_rice doesn’t condemn them. She condemns women defending single sex spaces for vulnerable women and child safeguarding,” said Angela Jones.
It seems Senator Rice is unaware of the defamation claims being brought against Australian politicians who slur women as Nazi’s or as somehow being involved with Nazis.
Our CEO Rachael Wong, who attended the event said, "Myself and Women's Forum Australia will continue to stand by these brave women and defend the right we all have to speak about the grave harm being done to women, children and our entire society by the lie that men can be women, girls can be boys, and that human beings can change sex."
The full event is available to watch on ADH TV.
Women’s Forum Australia is an independent think tank that undertakes research, education and public policy advocacy on issues affecting women and girls, with a particular focus on addressing behaviours and practices that are harmful and abusive to them. We are a non-partisan, non-religious, tax-deductible charity. We do not receive any government funding and rely solely on donations to make an impact. Support our work today.
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