Liberal MP Nick Goiran is encouraging his constituents to sign a parliamentary petition to “protect the rights of biological females’ as the WA parliament debates allowing a simpler process for recognising gender transition.
Warning: This story has comments which might be distressing to some readers. For 24-hour crisis support and suicide prevention call Lifeline on 13 11 14. For Australia-wide LGBTQI peer support call QLife on 1800 184 527 or webchat.
His followers on social media have responded with comments that include threats of violence towards people who they perceive to be transgender, while homophobic and transphobic slurs also appear on the sponsored post.
Goiran, a hardline conservative, has a long history of opposing law reforms that affect gay, lesbian and transgender people. The petition has been put forward by Bianca Cobby, who previously ran for the Liberals the seat of Kwinana at the 2017 state election.
In a Facebook post Goiran encouraged his followers and supporters to sign the petition saying it was an “absolute necessity to keep certain spaces just for biological females.”
Goiran said he wanted to see laws that insist that female bathrooms, change rooms, sports and shelters remain spaces for “biological women and girls only.”
The Liberal MP says he is not opposed to males identifying as female, but there should be rights that can only be enjoyed by people who as “biological women and girls”.
“For the sake of our daughters a line must be drawn.” Gorian posted.
The comments that followed on the post included a range of homophobic and transphobic slurs, and followers announcing that they’ll assault people who they believe to be transgender.
Several commenters said they would gladly serve a jail sentence for assault or worse if they encountered anybody who they suspected of being a transgender woman in a bathroom. Many of the comments have been online for over four days.
Some of the comments also promoted the well-established urban myth that there are school students identifying as cats, while others argued that LGBTIQA+ people should not be permitted to raise their own children.
Some commenters questioned why Goiran was only raising concern about transgender women, and if his proposal would also extend to transgender men.
When the petition closed at midnight it had attracted over 8,800 signatories.
OUTinPerth reached out to Nick Goiran to ask if he was aware of the comments on his page, and if he had any policy of moderating the content posted. We did not receive a response.
Do you need some support?
If you are struggling with anxiety or depression, support and counselling are available from:
QLife: 1800 184 527 / qlife.org.au (Webchat 3pm – midnight)
QLife are a counselling and referral service for LGBTQIA+ people.
DISCHARGED: info@discharged.asn.au / discharged.asn.au
Discharged is a trans-led support service with peer support groups for trans and gender diverse folks.
Lifeline: 13 11 14 / lifeline.org.au
Beyondblue: 1300 22 4636 / www.beyondblue.org.au
