Over the last four weeks our Trans Justice Project delivered over 116 copies of the "Fuelling Hate" report to more than 88 politicians, all over the country.
Together, we called on our leaders to stand with us against the attacks on trans lives and take urgent action to defend our communities from hate.
I want to congratulate every one of you who took part in this action. I know how scary it can feel to walk into an MP's office, but what you have done is incredibly important.
- Firstly, for many MP's and electorate staff this may have been the first time that they had met a person who is trans. And we know that when people know someone who is trans, they are far more likely to support our right to thrive.
- Secondly, because of your actions this report is now being discussed in a number of government bodies, electorate offices, and civil society organisations. Organisations have been getting in touch to let us know how important this data is and how blown away they are with our ability to put this report in front of our decision-makers.
- And finally, we now know that the opponents of equality are scared of what we are achieving together. We were featured in the Australian Christian Lobby’s latest video newsletter (an organisation with a history of opposing LGBTQIA+ equality) where they chose to spend four long minutes discussing the report and attempting to discredit our findings.
It is clear that we are having a huge impact.
However, the anti-trans lobby is continuing its work to undermine our rights. Just last week Senator Antic introduced a heinous new bill to outlaw gender-affirming care.
The bill is unlikely to pass, but that’s not the point - they are hoping to stoke a cruel debate about whether trans people deserve to make decisions about their own lives and care.
We need to fight back. That's why we are planning to bring together 100 trans leaders for a critical strategy retreat in 2024. At this retreat we will build our plan to win a future where trans people are safe, celebrated and free.
In solidarity for trans justice,
Jackie Turner (she/her), Director