Christian MP Moira Deeming has criticised the Victorian government over laws that allow boys who identify as girls to compete in girls sporting events at state primary schools.
Mrs. Deeming took up the case of 11-year-old Emily from country Victoria, who missed out on making the regional athletics finals after being beaten into third place by a transgender student.
The Victorian Education Department refused the pleas of Emily’s father to let her compete in the regional finals.
He told Sky News the response from Emily’s teachers and the department was “extremely disappointing.”
11-YEAR-OLD’S RESPONSE TO MISSING OUT TO A BOY
“It was nearly my first year making it to regionals and it was a bit sad not making it there,” Emily told Sky News.
“I’d like to see that the rules get changed and that next year, girls are a bit more confident in running and doing sports and just hope girls feel comfortable in their normal spaces, like girls’ toilets, change rooms and all that.”
Mrs. Deeming invited Emily and her father to State Parliament to watch her appeal for government intervention.
The Liberal MP told parliament: “Girls have complained to me about being forced to compete against boys, after which they lose or they get injured and then they are just told to be nicer or get over it.”
MOIRA DEEMING’S ADDRESS TO VICTORIAN PARLIAMENT
“For every girl in this country and state who has had her right to fair sport and privacy and dignity taken away from her, Emily, you are standing up for them and we are going to be standing with you.”
“She’s extremely brave to stand up and say that it’s not right what happened to her because, as we know, every single other person who has stood up and said these things has been viciously attacked, but, Emily, we are not going to let that happen to you.”
Mrs. Deeming addressed Education Minister Ben Carroll, saying: “Girls in Victoria do not feel safe or comfortable and they aren’t allowed to have fair sports. Will the minister fix this or do they just not care about girls at all?”
Mr. Carroll and government MPs stayed silent.
“WHEN IDEOLOGY TRUMPS NATURAL JUSTICE, WE’RE IN TROUBLE”
Leader of the Liberals in the Victorian Upper House Bev McArthur also took aim at the Education Department’s policies.
“Who made the decision to stop 11-year-old Emily from progressing to the next round of her athletics competition? A man from the Victorian Education Department,” Ms. McArthur told parliament.
“These guidelines prioritise inclusion on the basis of gender identity, rather than fairness and safety, with girls forced to compete against male peers in female competitions.”
“How is this fair? How does this encourage girls in sport or inspire the next generation?”
“When ideology trumps natural justice, we’re in trouble.”
EMILY’S GRANDMOTHER WAS AN OLYMPIC SWIMMING CHAMPION
British Olympic swimmer and women’s rights campaigner Sharron Davies tweeted: “So an 11-year-old girl is left off the next higher round of competition because a boy wants to pretend he’s a girl, so steals her place in sport for girls!”
“This is blatant sex discrimination. It’s 100% wrong. No one was stopping this boy from competing or being included.”
It has been revealed that Emily’s grandmother was an Olympian known as the Flying Fish who at the age of just 15, swam alongside Dawn Fraser at the Melbourne Games.
The late Faith Leech won gold in the 4 x 100m relay and bronze in the 100m women’s freestyle behind Fraser and fellow Aussie Lorraine Crapp.
Emily says her dream is to follow in her history-making grandmother’s footsteps and qualify for the Olympics in running.
JULIA GILLARD’S AMENDMENT OF THE SEX DISCRIMINATION ACT IS THE PROBLEM
Moira Deeming told Sky News that because Victorian school policies were informed by the federal Sex Discrimination Act, there were “no loopholes”.
Former prime minister Julia Gillard amended the Act in 2013 to remove the biological definitions of “man” and “woman”, and making it illegal to discriminate against someone on the basis of their gender identity.
“We have unjust laws that completely eradicate any kind of fairness in sports for girls,” Mrs Deeming asserted.
“WE NEED TO PUT DEFINITIONS OF MALE AND FEMALE BACK INTO LAW”
“That’s the first thing that needs to change. We need to put the definitions of ‘male’ and ‘female’ back into the legislation,” said Mrs. Deeming.
“Once that is corrected, then we will be able to go all around Australia and start fixing this in our state and territory-based laws.”
“Because at the moment, because those definitions are actually absent entirely, they’ve been able to fill it in with nonsense everywhere else.”
“That is why there is no appeal for little girls like Emily, that’s why she was told no rules have been broken. Her rights don’t exist in the law.”
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