Queensland’s Minister for Women, Fiona Simpson, has denied allegations that she asked public servants to remove references to “gender” from government websites because of concerns the word made people think of LGBTQIA+ communities.
The Guardian reported the claims after reportedly viewing internal departmental emails that ordered the changes as part of an effort to “dewokify” government websites. Former staff members of the Department for Women alleged that Simpson described the word “gender” as being “on the nose” and “loaded” in the current political climate.
The minister described the suggestion that she ordered the phrase to be removed as “utterly false”, saying the changes were prompted by consultation with community members.
“The website was recently updated for the launch of Queensland’s first Women’s Economic Security Strategy, which was designed by Queensland women, for Queensland women,” Simpson told the news outlet.
“While some are worried about words on websites, the Crisafulli government is focused on backing Queensland women,” she said.
The Director-General of the Department for Women, Natalie Wilde, was asked about the removal of phrases such as “gender equality” during a parliamentary estimates hearing last week. Wilde said the department regularly updates the wording on its websites to improve functionality and usability for visitors.
