Equality Australia and the Lesbian Action Group: contesting the meaning of ‘woman’ in women’s spaces

The Tickle v Giggle case has become a defining moment in Australian discrimination law, crystallising fundamental tensions around sex and gender. As an appeal to the Full Court of the Federal Court gets underway, two vastly different ideas have emerged about how women’s spaces should be defined and protected: Equality Australia’s, and the Lesbian Action … Continue reading Equality Australia and the Lesbian Action Group: contesting the meaning of ‘woman’ in women’s spaces

Rejoinder to Michael Foran re Tickle v Giggle and the principle of legality

We thank Michael Foran for his recent and insightful analysis of our previous post. We maintain that: Parliament's intention was to amend the law to provide protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and intersex status, within the Act's defined areas. The removal of the definition of ‘woman' from the Act served this … Continue reading Rejoinder to Michael Foran re Tickle v Giggle and the principle of legality

Tickle v Giggle and the principle of legality

Some questionable claims have been made recently about gender, sex, what it means to be a woman, and women's rights. But one statement from Justice Bromwich in the Tickle v Giggle case really takes the biscuit. Set aside, if you can, Justice Bromwich’s declaration in the Federal Court that “on its ordinary meaning, sex is … Continue reading Tickle v Giggle and the principle of legality