I feel like Australia is fairly apathetic to us. Probably because we generally dislike Americans and see the massive anti-trans movement as theirs. That’s not to say we’re accepting (I get plenty of disgusted looks from the cis and I’m in a progressive part of town), but it’s more of a passive dislike, attempts to build a large, motivated movement have been unsuccessful.
There have been some failed attempts to start a culture war and politicise us, but our policies have remained largely sensible and accepting. Most of the country operates on an informed consent model, and youths are able to access puberty blockers through either the consent of their parents or the family court (in cases where the parents are bigots). To change my legal gender, all I needed was a note signed by my GP.
It’s strange, because I feel like most of the population dislikes us (or at least condescends to us, thinking we’re being taken advantage of by “big pharma”), however we’ve still let actual experts and advocates design policies.
Mmm, I’ve been beaten up pretty badly. And once was hunted for hours in a sort of catch and release game for them in sydney (thnx cops, always there when I was “loitering” as a teen, not there when I nearly died and you had 3 hours to send a patrol round the area while I begged on calls to you) .
Mostly people treat me with passive distain or vague curiousity mixed with discomfort. Nobody wants to get particularly close or stand up for me but we’re not a very aggressive people generally so what arsehole stuff there is is just misgendering and sneers.
To change my legal gender in NSW I had to get steralised and then be “inspected” by 2 doctors just to be really sure I couldn’t breed. Federal government was reasonable though, passport and Medicare etc.
No they shouldn’t, but trans people aren’t alone in being abused. I try not to handwring about personal injustice and focus on where I can help to make the world a little softer.
I can do more due to those who came before, with luck what little I have done will help those who come after. It is not a given that history tends towards a just world, but many people have been fighting for that for a long time and I think we are slowly winning.
I’m not very old, and even so I see kids expressing non cis/hetero aspects of themselves with a fearlessness I could never have conceived of at their age. It gives me hope.
I’m sorry that happened to you. That is horrible, and I’m certainly not trying to claim that we don’t have violent bigots. I’m more trying to say that they aren’t as successful politically as in the US and UK.
NSW and WA stand out as particularly regressive when it comes to transgender legal procedures. Especially when even Queensland is reforming their laws to remove surgery requirements.
Yeah I am just saying idk if there’s much Australia wide culture. Like what do I have in common with someone from Perth, it’s sort of like comparing countries inside the eurozone.
NSW has had Nazi rallies with Liberal pollies attending for example. I think regional nsw is more relaxed but not friendly than the city, which has a more charged culture in general. We get anti trans speakers at the unis etc in Sydney, while out west people are just more willing to leave everyone alone and focus on their own problems.
When I travel to melbourne people seem a lot friendlier than Sydney, even the lgbt parts of sydney are kinda unwelcoming (tbh there is a strong element of misogyny in the sydney lgbt scene which is gay dominated). Haven’t spent much time up north but never had troubles in coffs harbour (near qld border) where people are more likely to just be confused and blunt about it than mean.
Tazzie was also quite chill when I travelled, even catcalls were more respectful :p.
She actually did it multiple times! The one you would have heard of was in Victoria, which is up there as one of the most progressive states in Australia. She also came to Canberra, the capital and where I live. I obviously attended the counter-protest and there were also Nazis there (one pictured here).
I hope they ban her from Australia (and ideally, everywhere else in the world). She’s one of the few people who I view as genuinely evil. If there’s twelve people and one Nazi at a table, there’s twelve Nazis at the table.
Good on you for being on the right side of history. The fight is not over yet 🏳️⚧️. Also that is terrifying and takes a lot of courage to be in such close proximity to open Nazis.
There is definitely a privilege aspect at play too. I’m a well spoken, boring white, middle aged cis passing trans woman with a family and an established career, which makes me the “right kind of trans” in most people’s eyes. Institutionally, I feel the apathy, but as far as random folk go, whether strangers or colleagues, I would say that by and large they are openly supportive. The unspoken part is that many of those folk are probably only that supportive of trans folk “like me”, even if they don’t realise it themselves.
I feel like Australia is fairly apathetic to us. Probably because we generally dislike Americans and see the massive anti-trans movement as theirs. That’s not to say we’re accepting (I get plenty of disgusted looks from the cis and I’m in a progressive part of town), but it’s more of a passive dislike, attempts to build a large, motivated movement have been unsuccessful.
There have been some failed attempts to start a culture war and politicise us, but our policies have remained largely sensible and accepting. Most of the country operates on an informed consent model, and youths are able to access puberty blockers through either the consent of their parents or the family court (in cases where the parents are bigots). To change my legal gender, all I needed was a note signed by my GP.
It’s strange, because I feel like most of the population dislikes us (or at least condescends to us, thinking we’re being taken advantage of by “big pharma”), however we’ve still let actual experts and advocates design policies.
Mmm, I’ve been beaten up pretty badly. And once was hunted for hours in a sort of catch and release game for them in sydney (thnx cops, always there when I was “loitering” as a teen, not there when I nearly died and you had 3 hours to send a patrol round the area while I begged on calls to you) .
Mostly people treat me with passive distain or vague curiousity mixed with discomfort. Nobody wants to get particularly close or stand up for me but we’re not a very aggressive people generally so what arsehole stuff there is is just misgendering and sneers.
To change my legal gender in NSW I had to get steralised and then be “inspected” by 2 doctors just to be really sure I couldn’t breed. Federal government was reasonable though, passport and Medicare etc.
I’m so sorry all that shit happened to you. Nobody should have to go through that.
No they shouldn’t, but trans people aren’t alone in being abused. I try not to handwring about personal injustice and focus on where I can help to make the world a little softer.
I can do more due to those who came before, with luck what little I have done will help those who come after. It is not a given that history tends towards a just world, but many people have been fighting for that for a long time and I think we are slowly winning.
I’m not very old, and even so I see kids expressing non cis/hetero aspects of themselves with a fearlessness I could never have conceived of at their age. It gives me hope.
💜
I’m sorry that happened to you. That is horrible, and I’m certainly not trying to claim that we don’t have violent bigots. I’m more trying to say that they aren’t as successful politically as in the US and UK.
NSW and WA stand out as particularly regressive when it comes to transgender legal procedures. Especially when even Queensland is reforming their laws to remove surgery requirements.
Yeah I am just saying idk if there’s much Australia wide culture. Like what do I have in common with someone from Perth, it’s sort of like comparing countries inside the eurozone.
NSW has had Nazi rallies with Liberal pollies attending for example. I think regional nsw is more relaxed but not friendly than the city, which has a more charged culture in general. We get anti trans speakers at the unis etc in Sydney, while out west people are just more willing to leave everyone alone and focus on their own problems.
When I travel to melbourne people seem a lot friendlier than Sydney, even the lgbt parts of sydney are kinda unwelcoming (tbh there is a strong element of misogyny in the sydney lgbt scene which is gay dominated). Haven’t spent much time up north but never had troubles in coffs harbour (near qld border) where people are more likely to just be confused and blunt about it than mean.
Tazzie was also quite chill when I travelled, even catcalls were more respectful :p.
I’m curious as to which province Posie Parker attempted to have the infamous Nazi TERF rally at
She actually did it multiple times! The one you would have heard of was in Victoria, which is up there as one of the most progressive states in Australia. She also came to Canberra, the capital and where I live. I obviously attended the counter-protest and there were also Nazis there (one pictured here).
I hope they ban her from Australia (and ideally, everywhere else in the world). She’s one of the few people who I view as genuinely evil. If there’s twelve people and one Nazi at a table, there’s twelve Nazis at the table.
Good on you for being on the right side of history. The fight is not over yet 🏳️⚧️. Also that is terrifying and takes a lot of courage to be in such close proximity to open Nazis.
Oh holy shit, that’s horrible… I’m so, so sorry you went through that ;-;
There is definitely a privilege aspect at play too. I’m a well spoken, boring white, middle aged cis passing trans woman with a family and an established career, which makes me the “right kind of trans” in most people’s eyes. Institutionally, I feel the apathy, but as far as random folk go, whether strangers or colleagues, I would say that by and large they are openly supportive. The unspoken part is that many of those folk are probably only that supportive of trans folk “like me”, even if they don’t realise it themselves.