Monique Ryan (Kooyong, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

I support the full Federal Court's recent landmark ruling affirming that the Sex Discrimination Act protects against unlawful discrimination based on gender identity. That protection exists for good reason. Transgender Australians face disproportionate rates of discrimination, harassment and harm. I've heard from a number of constituents that, in 2026, trans people in our community feel increasingly vulnerable, fearful and saddened by the current rhetoric around trans rights rhetoric, which is sadly worsened by some of our colleagues.

I'll read out part of an email that I recently received from a constituent in Kooyong:

Every morning I wake up to see our rights rolled back across the world or a headline about a trans person being killed and it's scary.

It is a frightening time for people in their LGBTQIA+ community. Another constituent told me that they feel 'increasingly vulnerable within the current political climate'. The transgender community want to live their lives peacefully without fear for their safety or their dignity, whether they are trying to access health care or just trying to be in public spaces. These are people, not political talking points. Like every Australian, they seek equal rights and protections under the law.

Many transgender people in my community want us to protect the Sex Discrimination Act, which is why it's concerning that the Leader of the Opposition has vowed that he would lead a coalition government which would seek to amend the Sex Discrimination Act and to insert a definition of biological sex—in other words, a definition of male and female. The opposition leader has said that this wouldn't remove a single protection from anyone, but inserting a binary biological definition of sex into the act would fundamentally alter how protections are interpreted and applied.

As a doctor, I know that gender identity is a complex area of medicine. Sex and gender exist on a spectrum. They're informed by genetics, hormones, anatomy and lived experience. Legally, it is also complex. Protections built up carefully over decades through legislation and case law should not be and cannot be unwound without real human cost. We should be guided by evidence, not by a political reaction to a single court ruling.

The Australian Human Rights Commission welcomed the Federal Court's decision and said that it provided important clarity. I stand with that clarity and I stand with every transgender Australian, who deserve to live free from discrimination.

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