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After Adrian became Jennifer and booked in for sex reassignment surgery, she(sic) did what came naturally to a mum and breastfed her(sic) newborn son.
A vilification complaint levelled by Jennifer Adrian Buckley against former Australian Breastfeeding Association counsellor Jasmine Sussex has taken on a life of its own, morphing into a test of both the science and freedom of speech in the ideological minefield of gender transition.
Ms Sussex has sought to turn the tables on Ms Buckley, 44, by demanding she(sic) prove that the substance she(sic) expressed was breast milk, consistent with what a mother would produce and nutritious for the infant, now aged 6.
She won’t be cowed by Ms(sic) Buckley’s charge that she breached anti-discrimination law, setting in motion five years of lawyers’ letters, abortive conciliation and mediation talks and angst, with the cacophony of clashing claims to be tested in the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal next year
Her lawyer, John Steenhof of the Christian-aligned Human Rights Law Alliance, told The Australian: “It’s not going to be a case that’s going to come to a definitive position on what is right and wrong in those particular issues, but whether we’re allowed to speak about them.
Ms Sussex, 50, of Melbourne, stood her ground as a succession of complaints initiated by Ms(sic) Buckley wound through the ABA’s processes, the office of the eSafety Commissioner and the Queensland Human Rights Commission, before the vilification case was set down for hearing in QCAT.
Along the way, she was expelled by the breastfeeding association and thrown off social media.
“I don’t have a choice in this,” she said. “You know, mothers and babies are too important to be sacrificed to the selfish, performative, futile effort for a man to be a mother. It’s offensive to women. It’s wrong psychologically, biologically, medically and it’s also unethical in my view. I won’t pretend that it’s OK.”
Watch this space, because the QCAT proceedings promise to be epic. Ms Sussex will be represented by high profile freedom of speech advocate, Tony Morris KC. It certainly helps that the Human Rights Law Alliance is picking up the tab.
Norton Rose Fullbright Australia is also believed to be acting pro-bono for Ms Buckley, represented by prominent Melbourne silk Kathleen Foley SC.