Cate McGregor has changed her mind about the Safe Schools program and now says she is supportive of most parts of the program.

McGregor, who prior to her retirement was the highest ranked transgender person in the Australian military, had previously spoken against the program which aims to reduce bullying queer students, but she now says she was wrong.

Writing in The Age McGregor said an encounter with a young transgender actor working on a theatre production about her life made her reconsider her position.

In an interview with The Australian McGregor said she should have supported the program all along.

“It’s an excellent program, and it saves lives,” McGregor said. “I should have been a supporter from the start. I regret that I wasn’t.”

Last year McGregor wrote an opinion piece for News Corp she said she was unable to support the anti-bulling program because of the political beliefs of one of the programs founders Roz Ward. McGregor described Ward as a “committed Trotskyite”.

McGregor said she has been rash to condemn the program and failed to be a role model to younger transgender people.

“I dashed their hopes and broke their hearts over my criticism of Safe Schools. I was too selfish, too ideological and too combative.”

In her interview with The Australian McGregor also acknowledged her comments had provided ammunition to commentators who often criticise the LGBTIQ community, such as the Australian Christian Lobby’s Lyle Shelton and News Corp columnist Miranda Devine.

McGregor said she hoped people would forgive her for her previous stance, describing it as ‘throwing the bay out with the bathwater’.

OIP Staff

03-05-18 17:45 Article updated to include link to Cate McGregor’s piece in The Age.