Allowing Trans Identifying Individuals to Alter Birth Certificates a Danger to Women: Advocate

1. An impending decision by the Queensland government to make it easier for people to change the gender on their birth certificate could have wider implications that are dangerous to women, according to Sall Grover, founder of women-only app Giggle.

Under proposed changes to the state’s Births, Deaths and Marriage Registration Act 2003, a person will potentially no longer be required to undergo sex-reassignment surgery before being allowed to make changes to their birth certificate. 

Minister for Women Shannon Fentiman confirmed the move during a Budget Estimates hearing in early August, promising to introduce the bill before the end of this year, the Courier Mail reported.

Fentiman noted that the reform will “allow trans and gender diverse people to have their gender identity accurately reflected in a birth certificate.” 

But Grover, a pro-women activist, writer and lawyer, argued that the development has implications for wider society.

Speaking to The Epoch Times, the mother-of-one warned the new rule could give rise to a situation where a fully-grown male—who self-identifies as a female—could simply enter female-only spaces like bathrooms or change rooms.

“Imagine if that male comes out and says, ‘No, I’m female, you have misgendered and committed a hate crime against me,’” she said. 

Grover said prioritising gender identities instead of biological sex would encourage people to “ignore their instincts” and indulge in transgender ideology. 

“It’s a preposterous idea that you can just nominate whatever sex you are legally on your birth certificate whenever you want.” 

Little Engagement With the Minister So Far

Grover said she tried reaching out to Women’s Minister Fentiman, she refused to meet. She believes the situation is the same for other pro-women advocates.

“The whole problem is you’re not hearing all the sides of it, and even the men’s side of it, because there’s a lot of men who are against this as well,” she said. “That’s not democracy.” 

In a message to Grover seen by The Epoch Times, Fentiman said the government is “undertaking extensive consultation with the LGBT+ community and stakeholders to make sure we get this right.” 

“We want to ensure our laws embrace and support our diverse community.”

The proposal comes after LGBT+ groups urged the Queensland government to update the Births Act in a petition that gathered more than 10,800 signatures.

“To include people of a third or non-binary gender, birth certificates should at least have an additional ‘X’ option,” the petition reads. 

“The limit of one name change per year can also be a roadblock for trans people, and should be increased or given exceptions for name changes with reason of gender affirmation.”

If the bill is passed, Queensland will be the latest state to join Victoria, Tasmania, the Northern Territory, South Australia, and the Australian Capital Territory to allow people to change their gender identity without undergoing surgery.

Women’s Advocates Being Cancelled

Grover says she was “vilified” by trans rights activists after creating the app Giggle, a social networking app designed only for biological women and used for networking and freelancing work. It uses facial recognition to prevent trans-identified males from registering.

“It’s been utterly terrifying,” Grover recalled. “I’ve just had to sort of weather being cancelled.”

“We have so many companies that refuse to work with us.”

“All of the publications that I’ve spent my whole adult life reading won’t speak to me. It makes me go ‘Well, what else are they lying to me about?’”