Hobart Councillor Proposes Segregated Toilet Facilities For Trans Persons
Image: Hobart City councillor Louise Elliot. Image: Facebook
Hobart councillor and former mayoral candidate Louise Elliot on Monday introduced a motion to have segregated toilet facilities for trans persons and to exclude them from change rooms that correspond to their gender.
Trigger Warning: This story discusses anti-trans statements, 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.
LGBTQI activists said councillor Elliot’s motion in the Hobart City Council violates Tasmania’s “gold standard” anti-discrimination laws.
Elliot’s motion calls for the council to adopt a policy to provide three segregated communal shared spaces when change rooms, and toilet and shower facilities are built or renovated – one for women, one for men and a third one designated as all-gender.
Anti-Trans Rhetoric
The councillor claimed that the motion was intended to make community members “feel safe and comfortable using the City’s change rooms, and toilet and shower facilities,” but on social media, the councillor Elliot turned on the anti-trans rhetoric.
“Changes to Tasmania’s legislation have created an insane situation where women (and girls) no longer have the assurance that they’re dressing or showering in shared spaces where only other adult biological females are present,” Elliot said on her official page on Facebook.
“This is about recognising the reality that many women feel unsafe or uncomfortable sharing vulnerable spaces like change rooms, toilets and showers with biological males,” Elliot claimed.
‘Biological males’ is a term often used by anti-trans speakers to refer to trans women. Earlier this month, protests were held at the Doone Kennedy Aquatic Centre over its all-inclusive bathrooms. Elliot was reportedly present at the protests.
Non-Existent Problem
According to Rose Boccalatte, spokesperson for Equality Tasmania, the Aquatic Centre has had inclusive facilities for over four years without any complaints.
Boccalatte said that the councillor’s proposed motion was an “unacceptable solution to a non-existent problem” that would stoke “community division”.
“Councillor Elliot’s motion to segregate trans people into a third facility is likely to contravene Tasmania’s gold standard anti-discrimination Act,” Boccalatte said in a statement.
“To segregate trans women into a third facility stigmatises us as a threat to other women and girls, which we are not. Like anyone else, trans people just want to use the facilities when we need to.”
“By preventing us from using facilities that correspond with our gender identity, this motion risks exposing trans people to further harassment and violence, which we are already particularly vulnerable to,” said Boccalatte.
Boccalatte added that “Individual facilities without shared spaces would be a more appropriate solution to this non-issue”.
