‘Severe disinformation campaign’ fuelling trans hate speech, Australia’s sex discrimination commissioner says

A rise in hate speech against trans people is not ‘bubbling up from the community’ but is internationally driven, the sex discrimination commissioner says. Photograph: nito100/Getty Images/iStockphoto View image in fullscreen A rise in hate speech against trans people is not ‘bubbling up from the community’ but is internationally driven, the sex discrimination commissioner says. Photograph: nito100/Getty Images/iStockphoto ‘Severe disinformation campaign’ fuelling trans hate speech, Australia’s sex discrimination commissioner says Trans and gender-diverse people experience ‘significant and preventable barriers to their safety and dignity’, report finds Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast The sex discrimination commissioner says there has been a concerted disinformation campaign against transgender rights since Australia’s postal survey on same-sex marriage. The Australian Human Rights Commission released a report on Tuesday – coinciding with International Trans Day of Visibility – finding that trans and gender-diverse people experience “significant and preventable barriers to their safety, dignity and full participation in society” spanning healthcare, housing, education, employment and public life. The report, led by the sex discrimination commissioner, Dr Anna Cody, recommends changes to federal law to include protections for LGBTQ+ Australians from vilification, bans on conversion practices and an end to pauses on puberty blockers for trans youth. Cody said since the 2017 postal survey on same-sex marriage – when much of the no campaign focused on trans issues – there had been an increase in hate speech against trans people. But Cody said it was not the postal survey alone that led to the change, and that a “severe disinformation campaign” was being run. “That also coincides with stronger anti-rights movements which are funded [internationally] and which are campaigned internationally,” she said. “So it’s not just a natural bubbling up from the community. They are driven. And I think social media has really turbocharged that movement. “Also, it makes it much easier to spread disinformation as well as to perpetuate narratives and stereotypes.” Jeremy Moineau, a trans human rights advocate, said anti-trans sentiment had not worsened online, but social media added fuel to the fire. “The algorithm keeps feeding angry people things that will make them angry. So they stay angry and they stay connected to the platform,” she said, pointing to trans people leaving Elon Musk’s X. “It’s a platform that many people now either regretfully use and interact with or have stepped away from completely because … it’s sort of this angry fishbowl of feelings and opinions.” Cody said trans people were often targeted for doxing – exposing their personal information to the public – but may not have sought charges using recent anti-doxing laws because of the potential additional abuse they may face. Doxing laws, passed in November 2024, criminalise the malicious use of personal information, with a penalty of up to seven years in prison for targeting a person because of their sexual orientation, gender identity or intersex status. “We’ve also seen, where trans people have brought cases, it opens them up to further abuse. It doesn’t necessarily reduce the amount of abuse they receive,” she said. “So it’s a very hard road to follow to expect an individual to bring a case.” Cody argued that was why hate speech laws passed after the Bondi terror attack should have been extended to LGBTQ+ people. Given the push to roll back rights and the harms associated with doing so, legal responses would send a clear message to the trans and gender-diverse community, she said. “And we want to ensure that everyone’s safe and hate speech is not OK.” The International Olympic Committee last week banning transgender women and DSD athletes from the female category of events was “disappointing”, she said. “The previous guideline was the product of a lengthy and transparent process by experts who have experience in the area. “This ruling came in a very non-transparent way, and will harm women and girls. “It’s another way of controlling [women and girls], and I don’t see it being a constructive or helpful move at all.” Explore more on these topics Australia news LGBTQ+ rights Transgender Human rights news Share Reuse this content