How Victoria Police facilitated a "no trans zone" in Melbourne
A TERF, 20 Riot Police and me.
I was present yesterday at the Anti-Transgender Rights rally by Michelle Uriarau, who alongside approximately a dozen supporters and another dozen onlookers rallied around a mostly disparate list of grievances, specifically targeting transgender individuals’ rights to access spaces and healthcare.
I was there to listen, to speak to anyone who wanted to speak to me, but mostly just to be present because I believe that it is more difficult to be bigoted about people who are standing right in front of you.
When I approached the police line, one of the “Women will speak” members indicated to me that I would not be allowed in because “your kind are violent”. When asked if that meant transgender people, she replied in the affirmative.
Police then refused me access to the space under the grounds that the “Women will speak” representative did not want me there.
Throughout the event, Police deferred to the “Women will speak” representatives to determine whether people should gain access to the space.
In the video above, a Police Officer defers to “Women will speak” representatives for authorisation on whether someone can pass through the police line.
In this hidden recording, the same police officer refuses to let me through, as the "Women will speak" representative has requested he deny my access based on being transgender “Your type are violent”.
The right to exclude transgender women from spaces has been repeatedly quashed by the AHRC. In 2023 a group closely aligned with the “Women Will Speak” group “Lesbian Action Group” applied to the AHRC to host events in which transgender women were excluded. In response, the AHRC affirmed the right of transgender people to access the spaces and made it clear that it was not legal to refuse transgender women the right to access a space based on their gender identity.
More importantly, under the Victorian Equal Opportunity Act, Victoria Police have a positive duty not to engage in discrimination including that against someone for their real or perceived gender identity.
The Police Officer was deferring to the “Women Will Speak” representative, however a person must not request, instruct, induce, encourage, authorise or assist another to contravene the Equal Opportunity Act (s 105). So this continues to be illegal behaviour, in fact, it becomes a new crime Victoria Police members committed on the day.
To be clear, I believe the TERFs have the fundamental right to say what they want, however we do desperately need anti-hate speech laws in Victoria in relation to specifically transgender people. (It’s illegal to say I am dangerous because I am brown, but perfectly legal to say I’m dangerous because I’m trans.)
However, they do not have a right to shut down a portion of the city and make it an anti-transgender zone.
This is my city too.
I returned to the Police line later on, admittedly upset that I was being denied access to a space by police under threat of force and arrest, purely based on my transgender identity.
I then approached an officer, and once more asked for access to the space, which he denied. I then asked to know what would happen if I crossed the police line, he said I’d be arrested.
Upset but fearless, I began to make an attempt to cross the line, while letting the Police officers know I would submit to an arrest immediately. Holding my hands out and saying “arrest me” repeatedly I moved forward. Initially an Officer said firmly “Step back or I will be forced to use force to remove you”.
I insisted he either arrest me or let me through.
He began to push me forcefully.
I held my ground.
A large tall trans woman being ineffectively pushed by a short king armed to the teeth with weapons. Almost comedic.
After a few moments of back and forth, They relented and I went through the Police Line. The TERF rally was winding down and it seemed that the Police did not want to bother with the headache their illegal discrimination against me was causing them.
Conclusion
It appears that the anti-transgender rights rallies are utilising Victoria Police to create a small space in the city during their events in which Transgender People are not able to access or be present. This is illegal, and when facilitated by Victoria Police presents a clear case of illegal discrimination.
I will be present at the next “Women will speak” rally, because I believe that bigotry cannot exist in close contact to the people the bigotry is about, to film and to continue writing for my new substack.
There is a reason these rallies attract only a handful of people. That’s because by and large Victorians are not bigoted people.
At the next rally these people hold, I will walk through the Police Line, and I will be identified by Victoria Police as transgender. They are welcome to arrest me for being transgender.
I am not illegal anywhere in my city. Despite what these TERFs want.
Arrest me.