Jessica Hoyle, the Tasmanian woman who applied to have an exemption from Tasmania’s anti-discrimination laws so she could hold a women’s event that barred transgender women, says she’ll take her case to the High Court.

Appearing on The Rita Panahi Show Hoyle said she believed Tasmania’s Equal Opportunity Commissioner who denied her an exemption from the laws, and the Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (TASCAT), who upheld the decision, made the wrong judgement.

“I plan on taking this further, under advice from my barrister, so it looks like a judicial review of this whole decision.” Hoyle said. “From what my understanding is, this could lead to a constitutional challenge.”

Hoyle said the decision was affecting same sex attracted people across the country.

“It seems in Tasmania it is unlawful for lesbians like myself to hold events and to have any rights to freedom of association. It’s been a horrific two weeks for the rights of same-sex attracted women, and for gay men as well, and for the while lesbian community, not just in Australia, but Australia wide.” Hoyle said.

Hoyle first applied to Sarah Bolt, Tasmania’s Anti-Discrimination Commissioner, for an exemption in 2021. When the request was rejected, she appealed against the decision.

The appeal was also unsuccessful. In the judgement the tribunal said many of the arguments put forward in the case were not backed up by research.

“Many of the assertions, particularly those regarding paraphilias, patterns of criminality and nefarious motivations for attending female-only events were unsupported by empirical research or compelling evidence.

“The wider public interest in protecting the rights of all members of the community from discrimination and prohibited conduct would not be advanced by the Tribunal yielding to such arguments.” the judgement read.

“Obviously we don’t matter and don’t exist to TASCAT.” Hoyle said during her most recent appearance on Sky News. “Our same-sex attraction isn’t valid, and we have no freedoms of association, and we have to include men into our spaces.

“I believe it’s been a huge disservice to same-sex attract women, which is lesbians.” Hoyle said, saying Tasmanian lesbians were now being exposed to “state sanction conversion practices” through being forced to admit transgender women to events.

OIP Staff, image: Sky News. 

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