Census to ask about gender identity after second government backdown | SMH

Treasurer Jim Chalmers on Sunday morning revealed the 2026 census would count transgender Australians for the first time, saying the government had listened to the LGBT community after equality advocates warned that being excluded from national data would worsen policy outcomes for minority groups.

Senior ministers, including Chalmers, had previously said that including questions about sexuality or gender in the next census would lead to a divisive debate.
The government announced two weeks ago, on August 25, that it was cancelling the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ plans to trial new questions that would identify sexually diverse, transgender and intersex Australians.
By the end of that week, an internal Labor revolt had provoked six MPs to speak out against the decision, and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said there would be one new question on sexual orientation. However, he came under fire for splitting the community by refusing to count transgender Australians.
On Sunday, Chalmers said the government had again changed its position and would include questions on gender. But he did not say there would be questions about intersex characteristics.

Notorious female(sic) paedophile inmate dubbed ‘Leader of The Pack’ is accused of running a child abuse ring from behind bars at men’s jail – as police reveal shocking new allegations | Daily Mail Online

A child sex offender who calls herself(sic) ‘Leader of The Pack’ has been accused of running a child abuse ring from inside a NSW prison.

Jessica Isabelle Rose, formerly known as Dean Angus Bell, was arrested at Junee Correctional Centre on Tuesday following a four-month investigation into the production and sharing of child abuse material by inmates.

The 31-year-old was charged with eight counts of producing child abuse material, eight counts of disseminating child abuse material, and knowingly or recklessly directing a criminal group.

Investigators uncovered a group called ‘The Pack’ who allegedly shared letters detailing real-life experiences abusing children, along with plans to commit further crimes upon release.

Police allege murder was mentioned in one of the letters.

NSW Police allege Ms Rose directed the group from her prison cell, writing letters detailing child abuse before sending them to other inmates.

Detectives believe a significant number of inmates could be involved due to the amount of material allegedly shared.

Ms Rose is in the midst of a prison term for using a carriage service to access child abuse material, and for breaching an extended supervision order.

She(sic) transitioned genders while in custody and was housed in an all-male prison.

Source: Notorious female paedophile inmate dubbed ‘Leader of The Pack’ is accused of running a child abuse ring from behind bars at men’s jail – as police reveal shocking new allegations | Daily Mail Online

LGBTQI+ questions government scrapped from 2026 census revealed – ABC News

The 2026 census questions on gender and sexual orientation that have been at the centre of a political brawl for the past week have been revealed to the ABC.

The government — and ABS — announced at short notice that it would not be proceeding with releasing the questions for testing amid reports of concerns at the top echelons of the government that they would start a culture war, and public commentary by senior ministers that there were concerns they would be divisive.

But the decision to abandon the questions caused a big backlash in the LGBQTI+ community, which had been promised the questions at the 2022 election.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese subsequently relented and said there would be a question on sexual orientation, but suggestions have continued in the media that the questions were along the lines of “do you have the same genitals you were born with?” and that a question relating to a person’s gender identity was “verbose, complicated, confusing and utterly impenetrable”.

The three questions, with accompanying explanatory notes, are:

1) What is the person’s gender?

(Gender refers to current gender which may be different to sex recorded at birth and may be different to gender recorded on legal documents.)

Respondents are asked to mark one of the following boxes: Man; Boy; Woman; Girl; non-binary; uses another term; prefer not to answer

2) How does the person describe their sexual orientation?

The options are: straight; gay or lesbian; bisexual; uses another term(specify); don’t know; prefer not to answer. This is marked as a question for people aged 15 and over.

3) Has the person been told they were born with a variation of sex characteristics?

(Sometimes called intersex or differences of sex development, this question refers to innate reproductive development, genetics or hormones that do not fit the medical norms for female or male bodies. These specific characteristics may be noticed at birth or develop in puberty).

The options are: yes; no; don’t know; prefer not to answer.

Source: LGBTQI+ questions government scrapped from 2026 census revealed – ABC News

Legal action for labelling trans breastfeeding ‘dangerous fetish’ | Herald Sun

A Victorian breastfeeding expert is facing legal action over a series of social media posts denying that transgender women can breastfeed.
Jasmine Sussex is being taken to Queensland’s Civil and Administrative Tribunal by a trans mother after labelling attempts by transwomen to breastfeed their children “experimental’’ and calling it a “dangerous fetish”.
Ms Sussex raised concerns about Queensland trans mother(sic) Jennifer Buckley – who was born male but later transitioned into a woman – taking hormones to grow breasts and induce lactation to breastfeed her newborn baby.
The Victorian woman is preparing to be called before the Tribunal after Ms Buckley alleged that she had vilified her online, calling her statements “hurtful”.
But Ms Sussex, who was sacked by the Australian Breastfeeding Association in 2021 after 15 years as a volunteer breastfeeding counsellor because she refused to use gender-neutral language, told the Saturday Herald Sun she “will not be silenced”.
“Breastfeeding belongs exclusively to mothers and our babies,” she said.
“We are the only humans who can make breast milk to nourish our babies.”
Ms Buckley caused a social media storm when she(sic) shared her breastfeeding online.
The backlash included comments from Ms Sussex, who labelled the practice cruel and unethical.
In November last year, Ms Sussex received an email from the Queensland Human Rights Commission to advise her they were investigating a complaint from Ms Buckley alleging vilification.
“The complaint attempts to scrub from the public record my mainstream concerns and criticisms about male breastfeeding,” Ms Sussex said.

Source: Legal action for labelling trans breastfeeding ‘dangerous fetish’

Greens in Exile – Greens in Exile | UK

Who are Greens in Exile?

Greens in Exileare a group of long-serving and loyal Green Party of England and Wales members who have been forced out of the party through suspension, expulsion or resignation for supporting:

Freedom of speech

The Green Party’s approach to ethical conduct is supposed to be guided by its philosophical basis and core values, which include a commitment to freedom of self-expression. Read more…

Open debate

No progress in a political party, or wider society, will happen without open debate.  Any Green Party policies should be able to be discussed in the light of changing scientific evidence or a change in public opinion. Read more…

Good governance

The Green Party should have a democratic process for making decisions, free of abuse and corruption and in line with social conventions and the rule of law. But does it? Read more…

Science-based policy

The Green Party is supposed to prioritise a scientific approach to gathering information and building knowledge to enable the development of policies through scientifically informed debate. Read more…

Women’s sex-based rights

Sex is a protected characteristic under the Equality Act (EqA) 2010 but not in today’s Green Party where advocating for “sex-based rights” can be seen as transphobic. Read more…

Safeguarding

The Green Party like any other organisation has a duty to safeguard and protect members against issues such as abuse and bullying, as well as ensuring that any children, or at risk adults, are sufficiently protected. Read more…

Help the party refocus

The Green Party has shifted away from being the party of ecology, but the climate and nature emergency has not gone away and we must come back to our core purpose. Explore the Greens in Exile to learn more.

Source: Greens in Exile – Greens in Exile

‘Widows’ whose husbands came out as transgender women during their marriages allege their partners sexually and physically abused them if they did not ‘affirm’ the new identity | Daily Mail Online

 

Women whose husbands came out as transgender during their marriages have spoken about their heartbreak and opened up about alleged abuse they suffered at the hands of their partners when they struggled to accept their new gender identities.

Behind The Looking Glass, a documentary by Lime Soda Films, claims to be the first deep dive into the stories of ‘trans widows’ – women who have split, or want to split, from their male transitioning partners.

In the film, the women say they are forgotten victims of domestic abuse and reveal that their partners were often unfaithful and took advantage of them financially.

The women explain that while their partners received therapy and support through their transition, they themselves were left without access to the same resources.

Behind The Looking Glass tells the stories of 18 women and explores the impact of the partner’s transitioning on their wives and children.

Source: ‘Widows’ whose husbands came out as transgender women during their marriages allege their partners sexually and physically abused them if they did not ‘affirm’ the new identity | Daily Mail Online

JK Rowling unleashes furious rant at ‘cheat’ trans athlete Valentina Petrillo amid Paris Paralympics row

Transgender sprinter Valentina Petrillo sparked controversy this week by qualifying for the women’s semi-finals at the Paris Paralympics, despite previously competing in men’s categories.

The 51-year-old Italian athlete, who is visually impaired, secured her place in the T12 400m event on Monday, but missed out on a spot in Tuesday’s finale after finishing third.

Petrillo, who transitioned in 2019 at the age of 46, had previously won 11 national titles in men’s T12 competitions between 2015 and 2018. Her inclusion in women’s events has reignited debates about fairness in sport, with prominent figures voicing their concerns.

JK Rowling, the renowned British author, has been vocal in her criticism of Petrillo’s inclusion.

In a scathing tweet, Rowling sarcastically remarked: “Why all the anger about the inspirational Petrillo? The cheat community has never had this kind of visibility!

“Out and proud cheats like Petrillo prove the era of cheat-shaming is over. What a role model!”

Rowling’s stance reflects a growing concern among some that biological differences may confer unfair advantages, potentially compromising the integrity of women’s competitions.

Her outspoken position has resonated with those who argue for maintaining sex-based categories in sports, whilst drawing criticism from trans rights advocates.

Source: JK Rowling unleashes furious rant at ‘cheat’ trans athlete Valentina Petrillo amid Paris Paralympics row

Trans-identifying males over-represented in NZ prisons | Speak Up for women

In July 2024 Speak Up for Women (SUFW) submitted a request to The Department of Corrections under the Official Information Act 1982 as follows:

We would like to request the following information, from 2020 until now, broken down into yearly or part yearly statistics (in the case of 2024). 

 

Please break the statistics down into ‘sentenced’ and ‘remand’ where possible.

A trans-identifying male is a biological male who identifies as a woman.

  1. The number of trans identifying males in custody during each period

  2. The number of trans identifying males who were housed in a female corrections facility during each period

  3. The number of trans identifying males who requested a transfer to a female corrections facility

  4. The number of the trans identifying males who were sentenced or on remand for crimes involving ‘sexual assault’ during each period

  5. The number of the trans identifying males who were sentenced or on remand for crimes involving ‘an act intended to cause injury’ during each period

We received a delayed but comprehensive response to questions 1,2,4 and 5. The results are unsurprising – male offending patterns do not change because of the way a man identifies.

Read the full release here

Source: Trans-identifying males over-represented in NZ prisons

House panel probes if Harris-Biden admin officials ‘inappropriately’ pressured medical experts to nix age-limit guidelines for transgender surgery | New York Post

Rachel Levine

House Republicans are investigating whether the Harris-Biden administration “inappropriately” pressured an international group of medical experts to do away with age-limit guidelines for transgender procedures – including gender-changing surgery for minors.

“The Committee on Oversight and Accountability is investigating allegations of political interference by the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in third-party medical organization recommendations,” Rep. Lisa McClain (R-Mich.), the chairwoman of the committee’s healthcare and financial services panel, informed HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra on Tuesday.

“We are concerned that HHS officials, acting in their official capacity, inappropriately applied pressure for changes to international pediatric medical standards,” the congresswoman wrote in a letter to Becerra.

McClain’s letter is in reference to a June report in the New York Times alleging that Adm. Rachel Levine, the assistant secretary for health at the Department of Health and Human Services, urged the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) to remove age limit recommendations for transgender surgical procedures over concerns that it could limit access to the operations in the US.

Source: Ground News – House panel probes if Harris-Biden admin officials ‘inappropriately’ pressured medical experts to nix age-limit guidelines for transgender surgery

Women’s Groups File Amicus Brief in Sixth Circuit Challenging Biden-Harris Policy to Force Girls to Change and Shower with Males | IWF

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Independent Women’s Law Center, alongside Women’s Declaration International USA and Concerned Women for America, filed an amicus brief in the Sixth Circuit to prevent the illegal Biden-Harris Title IX rewrite from taking effect in Tennessee, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky, and Virginia.

“The only thing more concerning about the Biden-Harris administration’s desire to eliminate the reality of male and female is the administration’s use of Title IX to do it. This law was intended to equalize opportunities for women, not by pretending we didn’t exist, but by explicitly affording us equal rights. The Biden-Harris bureaucrats want to infuse gender ideology throughout our education system, but cannot do so democratically. Independent Women’s Law Center will stand up for women and against lawless administrative power,” said May Mailman, director of Independent Women’s Law Center.

“‘Gender identity’ does not exist in any real, material sense, yet the Biden administration insists on pretending that it does. Women’s Declaration International USA (WDI USA) works to advance the Declaration on Women’s Sex-Based Rights, which is grounded in radical feminist principles, throughout U.S. law and society. Article 7 of the Declaration reaffirms women’s rights to the same opportunities as men to participate actively in sports and physical education. Sports are played with bodies, not ‘gender identities.’ WDI USA is proud to unite with women’s groups across the political spectrum in standing with the plaintiffs in their fight to preserve the original intent of Title IX,” said Elizabeth Chesak, president of Women’s Declaration International USA.

A copy of the amicus brief can be found here.

Source: Women’s Groups File Amicus Brief in Sixth Circuit Challenging Biden-Harris Policy to Force Girls to Change and Shower with Males | IWF