On Saturday afternoon in Perth, two very different rallies took place just a block apart.
Members of the LGBTIQA+ communities gathered in support of transgender people, while women’s rights activists assembled in Forrest Place to call for changes to the Sex Discrimination Act and the removal of protections that currently apply to people who are transgender.
In Yagan Square, the blue, pink and white transgender flag flew while speakers focused on the long-term wellbeing of transgender people, the importance of maintaining good mental health, and finding inspiration from heroes of the past who had walked the road to liberation and acceptance.
Rally organiser Nova Sobieralski reminded the crowd of around 50 people that trans rights icon Marsha P. Johnson used to say her middle initial stood for “Pay It No Mind”. The community leader then grabbed her guitar and led the crowd in song.
There were speeches from parents, including Petrina Harley, while health researcher Kai Sweitzer also addressed the gathering. The event featured more songs, including a rendition of the Woody Guthrie classic All You Fascists (Bound to Lose), which was recently recorded by Bette Midler.
Members of the intersex community also spoke about how the proposed changes to the Sex Discrimination Act were likely to negatively impact their lives.
After the speeches, people danced to Chappell Roan songs, blew bubbles, browsed market stalls and spent time getting to know one another. Speaking to OUTinPerth, Nova Sobieralski said the aim of the gathering had been to build community connections.
“We all had a good time,” Sobieralski said. “We knew full well that the TERFs were trying to bait us into having a loud, angry screaming match, but instead we came a few hundred metres away and decided to have a dance and a party.
“We have a huge, strong community, especially here in Boorloo, and when we come together like this, you see it and you feel it. This is a movement that is going to win in the long run.”
Sobieralski said the message of the event was that trans people are not there to fight; they are simply trying to live happy lives.
“It can be incredibly cathartic to go and have that screaming match with them. It’s the same reason people jump into the comments section on Facebook. But ultimately, we’re not here for the catharsis and we’re not here for our personal gain. We are here for the movement of trans liberation, and you’ve got to do what is right for the movement.”
In Forrest Place, around 100 people gathered to call for changes to the Sex Discrimination Act.
Event organiser and Perth restaurateur Jodie Jardine said she had been motivated to campaign for changes to the law after her daughter told her she had encountered a person in her workplace bathroom who was wearing a long women’s overcoat but appeared to be wearing male clothing underneath. Jardine said her daughter now only uses the disabled bathroom to avoid encountering the person again.
Former Legislative Council member Sophia Moermond was one of the speakers addressing the crowd.
“There is nothing controversial about recognising women, adult human females, in law. We do differ from men. We have different needs and, in particular, different vulnerabilities,” Moermond said.
“That is why women fought for sex-segregated spaces and the vote, among other things, and for sex-segregated services or sex-specific services.”
Moermond read a statement from Giggle for Girls founder Sall Grover, who was found to have discriminated against transgender woman Roxanne Tickle in a landmark legal case. Grover has applied to have the High Court consider the case.
Moermond also read a statement attributed to a lesbian woman who was unwilling to appear publicly because she feared speaking out about her concerns.
Moermond listed toilets, change rooms, gyms, refuges and sporting competitions as areas women had lost access to since changes to the Sex Discrimination Act in 2013. The former politician said the issue affected not only women but also men, citing Men’s Sheds as an area where the current laws were problematic.
Those gathered in Forrest Place held signs supporting women they described as victims of transgender ideology, including Sall Grover, Kirralie Smith, Jasmine Sussex and Dr Jillian Spencer. Above the crowd flew an upside-down Australian Red Ensign flag, which has been adopted by some members of the sovereign citizen movement.
Later a recording from Kirralie Smith, the CEO of anti-transgender organisation Binary was played to the crowd. Smith is currently the subject of a two year apprehend violence order following her targeting of individual transgender people who were playing sport. A giant photo of Smith was held up on stage while her voice was projected across Forrest Place.
Jodie Clune from Gerard Rennick People First Party also addressed the crowd. Clune ran for the Senate in 2025 but was unsuccessful.
“When we have a day and age where our Parliament and our Prime Minister cannot define what a woman is, I find it highly insultative. We were always told to trust the science. What’s so different now? Let’s get back to the facts that biology needs to be the authority over ideology,” Clune said.
Clune said it was important for women to have private spaces where they could regain their composure.
“Sometimes we need a private space to regain our composure. We’re emotional beings after all. Sometimes we need a space to help sort the kids out,” Clune said before outlining concerns about shelters and sporting events.
After the speeches, the group marched through the streets chanting for the Sex Discrimination Act to be changed.
