Western Australia’s recently formed State Security Investigation Group Hate Crime Team is investigating a series of criminal damage incidents in Subiaco around Wednesday, 10 December 2025 where anti-transgender stickers were plastered around Subiaco.
“The WA Police Force will not allow acts of hatred, intolerance, or discrimination to go unchecked. We have zero tolerance for hate in our community and will use every resource at our disposal to protect the public and bring offenders to justice. Those responsible will be held to account.” the police said in a social media post.
The stickers were found around the Subiaco Library, the neighbouring primary school and a nearby park. There have been several incidents of the stickers appearing in this area throughout 2025.
The stickers read ““Trans women are real men”. Throughout the year contractors for the City of Subiaco have been removing the stickers, noting that they have dealt with 38 incidents since July. There have also been reports of the stickers appearing in other inner-city locations.
When OUTinPerth visited the area earlier this year local residents had adapted the message to be more accepting of transgender people.
Speaking to Perth Now earlier this month Sam Gibbings the CEO of Transfolk WA questioned what the perpetrator was trying to achieve by placing the stickers in a space predominantly used by young children.
“It makes you wonder what they are actually trying to achieve. Are they trying to berate parents? Are they trying to scare children? Either way, when you resort to tactics like this in a playground, you have clearly lost the moral argument,” Gibbings said.
“Most Western Australians want our suburbs to be welcoming, tidy, and safe. Stickers like these achieve none of that,” she added.
“Messages like these are designed to create division. They try to import a loud, aggressive culture war style of politics that doesn’t reflect how most of us actually interact in real life.”
Gibbings said the local transgender community was very resilient by the message behind the graffiti needed to be called out.
“While they are loud, they are the minority. We know most people in Australia believe in treating others with dignity and respect, and we need to call out this hateful behaviour.”
“I think it’s important not to let vandalism be the only headline. While these stickers are ugly, we are a resilient bunch. We just celebrated PrideFEST where thousands turned out to support us. A few stickers in a park can’t compete with that level of genuine community love.”
The WA Police have asked people with any information to report what they know to Crimestoppers.
“If you see any suspicious behaviour—particularly around bus stops, signage, or the library precinct—or have information that could assist, please report it to Crime Stoppers online at www.crimestopperswa.com.au or call 1800 333 000. Reports can be made anonymously.” they said.
