‘Hateful’ anti-transgender stickers found in Hobart
Image: Image: Rodney Croome / Facebook.
Anti-transgender stickers have been found in Hobart amidst the state’s ongoing debate over legal reforms for trans people.
The stickers, which are shaped like penises, bear the words “women don’t have penises”.
Transforming Tasmania’s Martine Delaney has been campaigning tirelessly for the state government to recognise the need for the reforms.
She that the stickers were likely to have been distributed by one of the usual groups which campaigns against the legitimacy of trans women.
“It’s a view actively promoted by only extremely conservative Christian groups and a very small percentage of women – TERFs – who claim to be feminists,” she said.
“The existence of trans people is certainly recognised, accepted and supported by governments and the medical profession.”
Cassy O’Connor, leader of the Tasmanian Greens, called the stickers “hateful and hurtful”.
One of the reforms brought forward by the Greens as well as Tasmanian Labor which has drawn particular conservative opposition is making gender markers on birth certificates optional for parents.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison last week .
Delaney recently said that the Tasmanian government’s own response to the proposal is misleading, and that all reforms were put before the Tasmanian Anti-Discrimination Commission in 2016.
鈥淪ince then Transforming Tasmania has encouraged public debate on the reforms we want, and has met regularly with the State Government to discuss these reforms and put forward our suggested amendments.
鈥淔or the Government to claim that this reform has been sprung on Tasmania and there is need for further consultation is misleading and just an excuse for unnecessary delay,鈥� she said.
The Tasmanian government has but not the forced surgery requirement for trans people to change their gender on birth certificates.
O’Connor said the stickers are “an example of the kind of transphobia being peddled as a result of the Liberals’ dishonest statement on changes to the Births, Deaths and Marriages Act.”
鈥淔or too long, transgender and gender diverse Tasmanians have endured some of Australia鈥檚 worst laws on gender recognition and now it鈥檚 time to for us to lead the way as we have done on other LGBTI human rights issues,” Delaney has said previously.
just.equal’s Rodney Croome posted about the stickers on Facebook.
“Obviously, this is in response to the push for greater legal equality for transgender, gender diverse and intersex folk,” he wrote.
“This nasty little campaign is another nail in the coffin of the Government鈥檚 push to delay reform with further, unnecessary consultation.
“We have to remove inequities from the law NOW, or risk further hate,” Croome said.
