Letters to the Editor

If you too would like to share your opinions, stories, or experiences with us, please send your letter to the editor, rachael@lifepublishing.com


In response to Federal Member for Dawson’s recent comments regarding the Giggle vs. Tickle debate

Anonymous letter to the editor.

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I was concerned and disappointed recently to read Andrew Willcox’s statement regarding same-sex spaces in the wake of the Giggle vs. Tickle Ruling, which awarded damages to Transwoman Roxanne Tickle after she was blocked from Grover’s app, Giggle for Girls, promoted as an online space for women. Disappointingly, Grover’s statements regarding Tickle have been littered with cruel and incendiary rhetoric poking fun at Ms Tickle’s physical attributes and reproductive abilities, as has general conversation regarding the ruling.

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As a staunch believer that transwomen should have the right to exist and join safe spaces in a world where they face elevated levels of gender-based violence, I have been saddened by the instrumentalisation of the case to further harmful ideology that transwomen are a threat to women’s safety.  

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I for one would hope that in a warm, close-knit community like ours, any queer or transpeople could have access to resources, spaces and online circles formed to provide refuge for all those who need it - and would urge readers to take into account individuals' humanity, experiences, and struggles, rather than scapegoating them for issues predominantly enacted by cisgender men. 

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As a woman, I would invite transwomen to feel safe in my space, and ask why, if we are uncomfortable with the idea of letting men into bathrooms and online spaces, we are roping transwomen in to take the blame. They are not the problem.  

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This DV month I for one would like to focus on addressing the very real violence disproportionately experienced by women, cis or trans, and the systems and behaviours that enable it, rather than redirecting public fear toward an already marginalised group. 

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