Update from Lesbian Action Group

Call from LAG to maintain action in appealing the Victorian Pride Centre decision to exclude lesbians who want a sex-based event to celebrate International Lesbian Day.

‘As many of you know by now the AHRC has put out a preliminary finding to deny our exemption application.

This is not unexpected and in fact we see it as a win. We now have a second chance to get our message out far and wide re the discrimination against lesbians. Make the most of it – send it out on social media, discuss it with friends and among your networks, contact media….  put in another letter to the commission.’

Link to AHR decision is here.

A key statement in that decision is: ”The Commission notes that the grant of this exemption may lead to the further exclusion of and discrimination against same-sex attracted transgender women. Transgender women are a group who have and continue to experience discrimination, harassment and social exclusion. (footnote 32: Equality Australia joint submission, Rainbow Rights Watch, Melbourne Bisexual Network)

Seems the AHRC is getting tangled up again in its insistence to confuse biological sex with socially (and now legally) ascribed gender! Surely ‘same-sex attracted transgender women’ means men who identify as women being attracted to other men who identify as women. But this isn’t what usually happens. Instead, lesbians with sexed women’s bodies who are attracted only to other similar women find themelves often harassed for unwanted sex by men who identify as women. These men are  mainly heterosexual and want access to women’s bodies, not to others similar to themselves.

It’s the same old, same old–a male sense of entitlement, only now they have a legal loophole and we are being told we can’t do anything legally! Not on! Laws need to revert to provide the sex-based protections we fought hard for in the past.

Read past appeal on this website here