Bill Recognizing Biological Sex Fails at First Step
One Nation Senator Pauline Hanson attempted to introduce a Bill that would prioritize biological sex over gender identity, but it was ultimately voted down by Labor, the Greens, and Senator Pocock.
Upon its introduction to the Senate, a Bill aimed at giving precedence to biological sex over gender identity was unsuccessful.
The Sex Discrimination (Acknowledging Biological Reality) Bill proposed by One Nation sought to replace “gender identity” with the terms “man” and “woman.”
However, during the First Reading, the Bill was rejected by Labor, the Greens, and independent Senator David Pocock.
Senator Pauline Hanson expressed uncertainty about the Bill garnering the necessary support.
“Generations of Australian women have fought for their rights and equality with men, only for transgender (women) to swoop in and take those hard-won rights for themselves,” she stated.
Despite the Bill’s failure, Hanson viewed it as a step towards restoring sanity in laws.
Related Stories
“Labor and the Greens claim to support women’s rights, but their conduct today demonstrates they do not,” remarked Hanson.
“Biological women seeking protection from men including on their privacy have no support from these hypocrites who think contrived gender identities are more important than human biological reality.”
Tickle v Giggle
The Bill’s introduction follows the recent court case Tickle v Giggle in August.
Trans person Roxanne Tickle sued Sall Grover, the founder of the female-only app, Giggle for Girls.
Tickle was excluded from using the app after the founder determined she was not a biological female.
The significant gender-identity case ultimately favored trans Tickle, with the Federal Court justice ruling that Grover had engaged in “indirect discrimination.”
Grover was instructed to pay $10,000 (US$6,600) to Tickle, who had initially demanded $200,000.
“As we saw in the case of Sell Grover’s Giggle app, biological women’s private spaces and rights are being encroached upon by biological men,” Hanson stated.
What Does the Law Say?
In 2013, the Sex Discrimination Act 1984 was amended to acknowledge sexual orientation, gender identity, and intersex—expanding beyond the focus on biological sex.
The regulations applied to all Australian government agencies in terms of maintaining personal records. This law is supplemented by the Australian Government Guidelines on the Recognition of Sex and Gender, also implemented in 2013 under the Gillard Labor government.
