Cruel politicians are driving Australia’s national debate over transgender girls and women playing competitive sport, Victoria’s premier says.
Daniel Andrews has gone into bat for trans children competing in school sports competitions, attacking the federal coalition for standing by Warringah candidate Katherine Deves after her long history of transphobic comments came to light.
“Seems to me that the adults in this debate are altogether more cruel than the kids, and that’s a damning indictment on those who are pushing this,” he told reporters on Sunday.
“What’s next? A trans girl can’t play a female role in the school play? Like, is this the biggest issue in our nation today? I don’t think it is.
“And I think only desperate people, who are into wedge politics, who are trying to deflect from the fact that they have been in power for almost a decade and they’ve done precisely nothing with it, would push this.”
The premier argued sporting bodies have already established protocols for trans women competing at the professional and elite amateur levels, and suggested the school sports aspect was a non-issue.
He said no school community, parent or teacher has raised the subject with him during his 20 years in Victorian parliament.
“Trans kids are 15 times more likely to self harm. I don’t think this debate is doing any of those young Victorians any good, or their parents,” Mr Andrews said.
“It’s not easy to be trans. There is a lot of stigma. There is a lot of prejudice. I don’t think that adding to that is particularly kind. I think it’s cruel, in fact.”
In Queensland, the Greens slammed a threat by crossbench state MP Robbie Katter to outlaw trans athletes from competing in female sport.
The Katter’s Australian Party MP issued his threat on Friday to introduce a bill in Queensland if the next federal government didn’t bring in a national ban within 90 days of forming.
Greens MP Amy McMahon said transgender people are already subjected to widespread discrimination, hate and even violence on a daily basis.
“This kind of gross discrimination is what we’ve come to expect from parties that have run out of ideas and have lost touch,” she told AAP on Sunday.
Comment has been sought from the Queensland Labor government, who are unlikely to back any ban and are generally supportive of transgender rights.
Ms Deves, who was hand-picked by Prime Minister Scott Morrison for the seat in Sydney’s north, has been a vocal campaigner to ban transgender women from playing in women’s leagues, likening her protests to trying to stop the Holocaust.
She has apologised for her extensive comments but avoided media on Friday night at a “politics in the pub” event at the Forestville RSL.
However, Mr Andrews’ stance also appears to put him at odds with federal Labor leader Anthony Albanese who said his party’s stance was in line with the Sex Discrimination Act.
“It’s covered that girls should be able to play sport against girls and boys should be able to play sport against boys,” Mr Albanese told reporters on Wednesday.
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