Trans woman wins legal fight against ‘TERF’ women-only app owner in landmark ruling

Australian transgender woman Roxanne Tickle has won a groundbreaking discrimination case against a women-only social media app, marking a significant legal development for trans rights in the country.

The Federal Court of Australia ruled in Tickle’s favour, ordering the “Giggle for Girls” app and its CEO Sall Grover to pay A$10,000 (about £5,100) plus costs for indirect discrimination after denying Tickle access to the platform.

The case, known as “Tickle vs Giggle”, is the first time alleged gender identity discrimination has been heard by Australia’s federal court.

Justice Robert Bromwich found that while Tickle was not directly discriminated against based on her gender identity, she was a victim of indirect discrimination. The judge stated that case law has consistently found sex to be “changeable and not necessarily binary”, challenging the app’s biological-based definition of sex, BBC News reported.

Tickle, who has been living as a woman since 2017, initially gained access to the app in 2021 after uploading a selfie that was verified as female by AI software. However, her membership was revoked seven months later. She argued she was legally entitled to use services meant for women and claimed she was discriminated against based on her gender identity.

“The ruling shows that all women are protected from discrimination” – Roxanne Tickle

“I’m pleased by the outcome of my case and I hope it is healing for trans and gender diverse people. The ruling shows that all women are protected from discrimination,” Tickle said outside the court, as reported by the Guardian. She added, “I brought my case to show trans people that you can be brave and you can stand up for yourself.”

The app’s legal team argued that sex is a biological concept and that refusing Tickle access constituted lawful sex discrimination, as the app was designed to exclude men. However, Justice Bromwich rejected this stance, noting that the country’s Sex Discrimination Act recognises that a person’s sex is not limited to being a man or a woman.

Grover, the app’s founder who describes herself as a “TERF” (trans-exclusionary radical feminist), responded on X: “Unfortunately, we got the judgement we anticipated. The fight for women’s rights continues.” She has previously stated that she would appeal the court’s decision and fight the case all the way to the High Court of Australia.