Australia’s Largest Christian News Site

Is it unfair for “trans-women” to be excluded from lesbian-only events? Or do lesbians’ rights come first?

Equality Tasmania insists it’s only fair that men who identify as women have access to lesbians.

The lobby group put out a statement yesterday in response to a Launceston woman’s bid to hold lesbian-only nights at her mother’s pub.

The Tasmanian Anti-Discrimination Commissioner last year ruled that the lesbian-only nights were illegal since they required “people to provide intimate information about their body to gain access to the proposed events”.

Unlike, say, the Tasmanian Government that required people to provide intimate information about their body to gain access to Myer and Kmart during the pandemic. But I digress.

Lesbian-only night organiser Jessica Hoyle is now preparing to take her case to the High Court, where the highest judges in our land will need to decide if biological men identifying as women should be hanging out with lesbians. And let’s face it, that’s why you go into law!

Crying Foul

Lobby group Equality Tasmania described the desire to keep trans women away from lesbian-only events as “dangerous”.

The group wrote:

Equality Tasmania believes Ms Hoyle’s case could set a precedent that would disadvantage many Tasmanians at risk of discrimination.

Biological men feel disadvantaged when not able to attend lesbian night at the local pub! Undoubtedly true. Good point.

Women’s Rights

The statement, from Equality Tasmania spokesperson, Dr Lucy Mercer-Mapstone, continued:

“As a queer, cisgender woman, I know the overwhelming majority of Tasmanian queer, lesbian and bisexual women support equality for transgender women and oppose attempts to exclude them.”

As a heterosexual man born in the 1970s, I know the overwhelming majority of Tasmanians would have needed — as I did — to read the sentence several times to work out who Dr Mercer-Mapstone was speaking as, and who she was speaking about.

The queer, cisgendered Mercer-Mapstone continued:

“Trans women are women. To say otherwise is inaccurate and distinctly anti-feminist.”

Or — and I’m going out on a limb here — trans women are not women. And to say otherwise is inaccurate and distinctly anti-feminist.

I’ll let you be the judge.

Confusion

Equality Tasmania continued:

“Lesbian, queer, and bisexual women still face significant discrimination in the workplace and at school, and picking a fight within our own community causes unnecessary divisions over non-existent problems and diminishes our capacity to address real discrimination.”

Equality Tasmania seems confused. “Lesbians and bisexual woman” are not being discriminated against in this instance. They are free to party at Ms Hoyle’s event.

It’s the lesbians with penises who are being discriminated against, because the lesbians with vaginas don’t want penises at their event.

It’s horrible, no doubt, but non-lesbians with penises face this kind of discrimination all the time. We don’t complain about it.

“Of great concern is that Jessica Hoyle’s proposed High Court appeal seeks to water down protections for trans and gender diverse Tasmanians in the state Anti-Discrimination Act which is the strongest anti-discrimination law in Australia.”

Of great concern to Jessica Hoyle is building up protections for women. She wants the ability to run a girls’ night out without being hassled by dudes claiming to be lesbians.

“If Ms Hoyle succeeds it would set a dangerous precedent that would disadvantage not just LGBTIQA+ Tasmanians but all Tasmanians at risk of discrimination.”

You mean if Ms Hoyle succeeds, no Tasmanians will be able to attend lesbian-only events at the Launceston pub?

What about cousin-only events? Too far?

Internecine Conflicts

Dr Mercer-Mapstone said the Tasmanian LGBT+ community has come a long way in recent decades thanks to its capacity to work together as an accepting and inclusive community.

Everyone knows that’s not true. There’s no such thing as an “LGBTIQA+ community”.

Ls think Gs are stupid and irresponsible.

Gs think Ls are stuffy and unfriendly.

Ls and Gs think Bs are in denial about being Ls or Gs.

Ls, Gs, and Bs all think Ts have mental problems.

And neither Ls nor Gs nor Bs nor Ts can tell you what the + means since it’s just there as a cover-all to make sure that if someone turns up claiming to be a $%^%^^^*%T$sexual then everyone can say, “We represent you. You’re the +”

“Attempts to divide us threaten the progress we have all made, but I strongly believe such attempts will fail.”

The High Court will need to decide if the advent of male lesbians represents “progress we have all made” or if they are just a crude attempt to unite what ought to have always been divided.

___

Originally published at The James Macpherson Report.

Subscribe to his Substack here for daily witty commentary.