{"id":1039853,"date":"2023-03-27T21:30:00","date_gmt":"2023-03-27T21:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/castancentre.com\/?p=6001"},"modified":"2023-03-27T21:30:00","modified_gmt":"2023-03-27T21:30:00","slug":"anti-trans-hate-how-do-we-make-sure-australia-doesnt-go-down-the-same-path-as-the-us-and-uk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/2023\/03\/27\/anti-trans-hate-how-do-we-make-sure-australia-doesnt-go-down-the-same-path-as-the-us-and-uk\/","title":{"rendered":"Anti-trans hate. How do we make sure Australia doesn\u2019t go down the same path as the US and UK?"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Paula Gerber and Ronli Sifris<\/strong><\/p>\n

Transgender people once again find themselves in the middle of a media storm, stemming from a clash between anti-trans groups (including neo-Nazis) and trans and gender-diverse (TGD) people in front of Parliament House in Melbourne on 18 March.<\/p>\n

The initial spark was when British woman Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull<\/a>, also known as Posie Parker, brought her anti-trans \u201cLet Women Speak\u201d rally <\/a>to the steps of Victoria\u2019s parliament.<\/p>\n

Keen-Minshull has held similar rallies in other cities around the world, but this particular event took a violent turn when a group of about 20 neo-Nazis turned up in support of the anti-trans rally.<\/p>\n

Clad in black and performing the Nazi salute, a fire of hatred, intolerance and bigotry was unleashed on the doorstep of the symbol of Victoria\u2019s democracy.<\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t the first time Posie Parker (and her movement) has been linked with white nationalists<\/a>, but the Melbourne event exposed this unholy alliance to the general public.<\/p>\n

What happened in Melbourne last Saturday, and the anti-trans voices and actions taken by high-profile politicians and political candidates such as Katherine Deves<\/a> and Mark Latham<\/a>, take a significant toll on the trans community, particularly young TGD people.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a significant body of\u00a0scholarly research<\/a>\u00a0showing that TGD people have poorer mental health outcomes than their peers. Stigma, discrimination, exclusion, negative media commentary and hateful public attacks all contribute to psychological harm and poor mental health among vulnerable trans youth.<\/p>\n

A path of transphobic hate<\/strong><\/p>\n

The anti-trans rallies Keen-Minshull is leading across Australia have fuelled concerns we may be going down the same path of transphobic hate currently evident in the US and UK.<\/p>\n

Thirty-six of the 50 states that comprise the US have introduced bills<\/a> that seek to marginalise trans people and fundamentally breach their human rights.<\/p>\n

Most of the proposed laws target trans youth<\/a> \u2013 seeking to prevent trans girls and women from playing on female sports teams, banning TGD persons from using bathrooms and locker rooms that align with their gender identity, and denying access to gender-affirming medical care.<\/p>\n

The most recent example of the enactment of such laws is in Kentucky, where earlier this month, a bill was passed that\u2019s has been described as the worst anti-trans law<\/a> in the country, not only banning gender-affirming healthcare for trans youth, but also requiring doctors to de-transition young trans people, and preventing schools from discussing gender identity or sexual orientation with students of any age.<\/p>\n

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Read more: Mark Latham\u2019s controversial anti-trans kids bill hits constitutional roadblock<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

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In the UK, the rights of trans people have similarly become a highly divisive political issue. In December 2022, Scotland passed the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill<\/a>, which removed barriers for transgender people to legally change their gender. There was overwhelming support for this law reform, with the legislation passing with 86 votes in favour, and 39 against.<\/p>\n

However, in January, the UK government, in an unprecedented move,\u00a0vetoed the bill<\/a>. Nancy Kelley, the CEO of the LGBTIQ+ advocacy group Stonewall, said the veto decision \u201ctreats trans people as a threat to be contained, not citizens to be respected\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

What can Australia do?<\/strong><\/p>\n

There are many steps we can \u2013 and should \u2013 take to ensure that Australia doesn\u2019t go down the anti-trans path the US and UK are pursuing.<\/p>\n

First, we need to strengthen our laws to better-protect the dignity and rights of TGD people. This includes:<\/p>\n