Queensland’s Minister for Women has offered a definition of women that aligns with anti-trans activists, and it’s quickly been taken as a sign that the minister does not consider transgender women to be included within the definiation, but what did she actually say?
The declaration was made in the state’s parliament documentation where Minister for Women Fiona Simpson tabled the answer to a question on notice from The Katter Party.
On Monday, Minister for Women Fiona Simpson answered a question from Katter’s Australian Party state leader Robbie Katter asking her to outline the state’s definition for women, and whether transgender people were included in it.
Simpson answered the pronged question with a two part response.
For the first part Simpson said, “A woman is an adult female human being.” While to the second question about transgender inclusion she said; “A transgender person is someone whose gender identity is opposite to the sex the person was born with, male or female.”
The former Labor government said it believed women to include “all people who identify as a woman or girl”, and made a distinction between the areas of sex and gender.
In her response Simpson has evoked a definition often used in anti-transgender campaigns. “Adult Human Female” is the catch cry of British provocateur and dedicated ant-transgender campaigner Kellie Jay Keen.
Simpson’s answer is being portrayed by some media outlets as a overturn of the previous approach of recognising transgender women as women, while simultaneously acknowledging that she had not made a declarative statement on the issue.
Women’s rights group who campaign for the exclusion of transgender people, and prominent gender activists have praised Minister Simpson’s position (while its not clear if she actually holds it).
In fact in follow up questioning the Crisafulli government has refused to say if the definition provided in response to Katter’s question is something that will be enshrined in legislation.
Staffers for the Minister have repetitively refused to say if the definition offered by the minister would create any changes in the rollout of the state’s Women and Girls Health Strategy that was brough in under the previous Labor government, or if it’s “gender inclusivity approach” would be abandoned.
Australian National University Law School associate professor Wayne Morgan told The Australian that unless the government was legislating the new definition.
“The Queensland government cannot change that simply by statements in parliament. They would have to pass legislation to change those reforms. They may be able to make some changes to some internal government policies. However, even those may be subject to legal challenge.”
Equality Australia’s CEO Anna Brown pointed out that under the state’s current laws transgender women are classed as women.
“Queensland law has long protected women, including transgender women, from discrimination, and allows trans people to update their ID documents to reflect their true gender,” Brown said.
“This means that transgender women are recognised as women under the law, as they should be.”
