Christian leaders, women’s rights groups, Pauline Hanson, Angus Taylor, lesbian rights activists and — judging by a blitz of social media posts — millions of Australians, agree that Australia has become the “laughing stock of the world” — after a landmark court ruling that the rights of men who identify as women trump the rights of biological women.
On Friday, the full Federal Court of Australia handed down a far-reaching judgment on gender discrimination law.
It found transgender plaintiff Roxanne Tickle was directly discriminated against on the basis of gender by being refused access to a women-only social media app called Giggle for Girls run by businesswoman Sall Grover.
The three judges stressed: “It is important to emphasise that the issues for determination by the court involve the construction and application of provisions of the [Sex Discrimination Act (SDA)].”
“The desirability or otherwise of that law is not a matter open to this court to consider.”
“POLITICIANS COULD HAVE FIXED THIS ON DAY DOT AND THEY HAVEN’T”
Women’s Forum Australia Chief Executive Rachael Wong lamented: “Politicians could have stepped in and fixed this on day dot and they haven’t.”
Day dot was when the Gillard government removed the definition of male and female from the SDA.
“Australia is the laughing stock of the world right now,” Ms. Wong declared.
A devastated Sall Grover posted that: “Men who claim to be women have more rights than actual women in Australia.”
“It is women who are being discriminated against, not the men who claim to be us.”
THE CHRISTIAN REACTION: TO STAND FOR BIOLOGICAL TRUTH
Australian Christian Lobby CEO MIchelle Pearse said: “We need to see the biological definition of male and female restored back into the Sex Discrimination Act to bring this nation back to common sense.”
“This affects female-only spaces, female sports teams; it even goes down to teaching children what a male and what a female is.”
“Of course we have compassion for those that are struggling with their gender, but to open up female-only spaces and allowing men who think that they are women into those spaces compromises the safety of women and of children.”
“So we need to stand for biological truth. Men are men and women are women.”
“ANY POLITICAL LEADER WHO CANNOT DEFINE A MAN AND A WOMAN IS NOT FIT FOR OFFICE”
“Men cannot become women and women cannot become men. And to tell children that they can be something they are not is nothing short of child abuse and terribly confusing,” Michelle Pearse continued.
“We need to restore biology back into law and restore this nation to common sense.”
“Any political leader who can’t tell you what a male is and what a female is, is not fit to make public policy for our nation.”
DISGUSTED PAULINE HANSON VOWS TO PROTECT WOMEN
Pauline Hanson was the first leader of a major political party to commit to changing the SDA if she has the power and the allies.
“I’m disgusted with the outcome. It flies in the face of biological reality and strips rights from women,” she said in reaction to the Tickle v Giggle case.
“Women-only spaces are no longer protected and are no longer safe from transgender extremism.”
“Where are the feminists who are happy to invoke women’s rights when it’s convenient, but are conspicuously silent when transgender extremism stomps all over them with man-sized boots?”
ONE NATION’S COMMITMENT TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE
“One Nation will again attempt to protect women-only spaces from transgender ideology by moving amendments to the Sex Discrimination Act to reflect biological definitions of men and women.” Ms. Hanson asserted.
She claimed One Nation was the only party, as opposed to individual MPs, that had tried to amend the SDA and reverse the changes made under the Gillard government.
One Nation attempted to move an amendment in September 2024, but in a rare case, the Senate denied its introduction and denied Senator Hanson’s right to speak in the chamber.
LIBERAL LEADER VOWS TO CHANGE SEX DISCRIMINATION ACT
On Saturday morning, Liberal leader Angus Taylor announced a policy that gives the Coalition a clear point of difference from Labor.
He vowed: “A government I lead will fix this.”
“We will amend the Sex Discrimination Act to ensure that women and girls have protections based on biological sex.”
“We will define biological sex in the Act. And we will protect single-sex spaces across Australian life.”
“This is not radical. It is common sense.”
NATIONALS BACK LIBERALS PLEDGE
Nationals leader Matt Canavan backed Mr. Taylor’s vow, describing the proposed changes to the SDA as “urgently needed”.
Last year, Senator Canavan and Liberal senator Alex Antic introduced a private member’s bill that sought to remove references to “gender identity” in the Act, and insert definitions of “man” and “woman”.
The bill ultimately failed, but it’s likely Nationals MP Alison Penfold “will introduce a similar bill to the House soon”.
OTHER REACTIONS TO THE LANDMARK RULING
As of Saturday evening, hardly a peep had been heard from Labor and the Greens on the case.
Unsurprisingly, Australian Human Rights Commission president Hugh de Krester, Sex Discrimination Commissioner Dr. Anna Cody and Equality Australia legal director Heather Corkhill all celebrated the ruling.
An extremely concerned LGB Alliance wrote: “If ‘woman’ can legally include a biological male, the word ‘lesbian’ – a woman attracted exclusively to other women – loses all meaning.”
THE BACKGROUND TO THE CASE
In August 2024, the Federal Court of Australia made a landmark decision.
It found female-only social media app Giggle for Girls and its chief executive Sall Grover discriminated against Roxanne Tickle, who is transgender.
Grover had removed Tickle from the app after looking at Tickle’s selfie and deciding Tickle was a man.
Justice Robert Bromwich sensationally ruled sex is “changeable and not necessarily binary” and that Grover’s action was indirect discrimination based on gender identity, ordering her to pay Tickle $10,000.
THE APPEAL AND CROSS APPEAL
In August 2025, the full Federal Court, consisting of Justice Melissa Perry, Justice Wendy Abraham and Justice Geoffrey Kennett, heard the appeal and cross appeal.
Grover argued she and Giggle for Girls did not break anti-discrimination laws.
Tickle argued it was direct discrimination and sought $40,000 in compensation.
Sex Discrimination Commissioner Anna Cody who oversees the operation of the SDA gave submissions to the court as part of the case as did the Lesbian Action Group and Equality Australia,
THE APPEAL ARGUMENTS
Grover claimed the app was designed to achieve equality between men and women.
She and the Lesbian Action Group argued that “men” and “women” are defined by sex assigned at birth.
Tickle, the Sex Discrimination Commissioner and Equality Australia argued that the definition of men and women is broader, not limited by biological sex characteristics as Justice Bromwich had ruled.
This trio also contended a “special measure” to promote equality for one group could not discriminate against another.
Their argument was that “special measures” designed to help women would not allow different treatment on the basis of other aspects like gender, marital status or sexuality.
Crucially, if this was the case, a transgender person cannot be excluded from “measures” made to help women.
FEDERAL COURT OF APPEAL FOUND IN FAVOUR OF TRANSGENDER PLAINTIFF
On Friday, the Federal Court of Appeal found in favour of Roxanne Tickle.
In dismissing the appeal and allowing the cross appeal, the court found excluding Tickle from the app on the basis of Tickle’s gender-related appearance from a selfie amounted to direct discrimination on the basis of being a transgender woman.
The court ordered Grover to pay Tickle $20,000 in compensation which took into account the aggravated conduct of offensive and consistent misgendering.
The case appears destined for the High Court unless a conservative majority is returned to power in Canberra in the meantime.
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