Women’s rights advocate Sall Grover has opted to pull out of publicly addressing a rally in Sydney on Sunday after she and fellow campaigner Kirralie Smith allegedly received death threats from a trans rights activist.
Ms Grover has also issued a defamation concerns notice to a range of trans activist groups, having been described as a “racist transphobe” on flyers promoting a counter-protest challenging Sunday’s Women’s Rights Network event.
In a private social media message sent to Binary Australia spokeswoman Ms Smith, a trans activist identifying themselves only as “Riles” told her: “We are going to put a bullet through your f..king head for bringing men to (a transgender soccer player’s) game to intimidate her! 1 terf 1 bullet! You will suffer immense physical anguish for putting our side in harm’s way!”
Another message from “Riles” said: “So happy you lost $100,000 but it’s not f..king enough we WILL ruin your life as much as humanly possible. We will never stop pursuing your suffering! And trans people are going f..king NOWHERE you subhuman filth! We will haunt you as long as you live! You will never be safe! Trans people are all over the world too, and thanks to the internet, also connected! We know what you look like in other words 🙂 on f..king sight.”
The message also featured a photograph of Ms Grover, with the caption “1 terf 1 bullet”.
Ms Grover said she had felt “really nervous” about her personal safety at a similar rally in Brisbane in July, which had also been counter-protested by trans activists.
“We have been inundated with abuse, and it has been escalating,” she said. “We are living in a post-Charlie Kirk (assassinated US political figure) world, and it makes me super nervous. I have to remember I am first and foremost my child’s mother,” said Ms Grover, who is a single parent to a four-year-old daughter.’
She said supporters of rallies like Sunday’s were “mostly a bunch of middle-aged women, some younger, some older, and some men who come along in support of us”.
“We don’t send threats. We don’t try to intimidate these guys, we’re not opposed to counter-protest. Counter-protest is part of living in society. What I am against is incitement, and that in order to hold these rallies to defend our rights, we need police protection from trans activists.”
Ms Smith said she would still speak on Sunday. “I am still going ahead,” she said. “This is no judgment on Sall. She is a single mum with a four-year-old, so I 100 per cent respect her position, but from my point of view, I won’t be intimidated, I won’t back down.
“I don’t want a bullet in my head, and I want women to have the freedom to speak about these issues.”
Other speakers at Sunday’s rally include the Lesbian Action Group, breastfeeding advocate Jasmine Sussex, Feminist Legal Clinic principal Anna Kerr, psychologist Dianna Kenny and philosopher Clive Hamilton.
Source: Sall Grover pulls out of Sydney rally after alleged death threat | The Australian