Equality Tasmania Speaks Up Against Anti-Trans Protest At Hobart Aquatic Centre

An anti-trans group held a small protest was held outside the Hobart Aquatic Centre Friday morning over the all-inclusive change rooms. According to the group, biological males shouldn’t be given access to female-only spaces and change rooms.

The group, LGB Tasmania staged the protest against the council swimming pool’s trans-inclusive policy which had been in place for four years now without any complaints.

LGB Tasmania claimed to be standing up for the “privacy and dignity of women and girls,” and asking for the repeal of Tasmania’s gender identity laws. One of the biggest issues that the group has is posters in the women’s toilet and changing rooms.

In these spaces, the posters inform female patrons that they are inclusive change rooms, something that LGB Tasmania spokesperson Jessica Hoye says is unacceptable.

“To suggest girls and women that they have no choice but to share private spaces with males whether they are trans or not is an insult and a breach of their human rights,” she said.

“In places where girls and women undress they need to feel safe and deserve privacy and dignity.”

“Under current Anti-Discrimination laws, any male can come into the women’s change rooms and say they identify as female.”

A Deliberate Attempt To Discriminate

Equality Tasmania has spoken against the protest, stating that it’s clearly trying to undermine Tasmania’s equal discrimination protections for the state’s trans and gender-diverse residents.

LGB Alliance Tasmania has protested outside against the Hobart Aquatic Centre’s trans-inclusive policy which has been in place for four years with no complaints. It’s all about trying to undermine Tasmania’s equal trans discrimination protectionshttps://t.co/rCU8yXcrM7

— Rodney Croome AM (@RodneyCroome) February 3, 2023

“The Aquatic Centre has had inclusive facilities for four years without any complaints,” a spokesperson for Equality Tasmania, Rose Boccalatte said.

“The protest wasn’t about the Aquatic Centre or about ‘protecting women’, it was about a concerted attack on the equal discrimination protections of trans and gender diverse Tasmanians. We urge Tasmanians to support the state’s gold-standard anti-discrimination laws because they have helped foster a kinder and more inclusive Tasmania.”

An Invasion Of Privacy

Star Observer reached out to Boccalatte who spoke more on the issue after becoming “quite concerned” upon hearing of the protest.

“If they’re asking for change rooms to go back to single-sex spaces, how would they police that? Would they ask for people’s birth certificates upon entry? Would they ask people to do something much more invasive?”

“It could lead to quite an invasion of privacy and this is really just a targeted attack on trans people. It’s never really about women’s safety like they say it is.”

Ms Boccalatte was also disappointed upon learning of former Hobart City Councillor, Jeff Briscoe’s participation in the protest.

“In Jeff Briscoe’s response to our 2022 local government election survey he said he supports gender-neutral toilet facilities and opposes LGBTIQA+ discrimination,” she said.