17c起草社区

Organisers and attendees of a large trans-led counter-protest in Melbourne against an anti-trans rally are celebrating after their protest vastly outnumbered the anti-trans cohort. “The energy has been amazing, we achieved all of our goals – a lot of people said that it was the most fun and the best vibes that they’ve ever experienced at a protest”.

The counter-protest titled 鈥淪MASH TRANSPHOBIA! FIGHT FOR TRANS LIBERATION!鈥� occurred on Saturday 4 July at 11:30am on the steps of Parliament House in Melbourne.

Organisers, including聽聽and the聽 stated that they were mobilising in opposition of a rally scheduled on the same day to support anti-trans campaigner Sall Grover, who recently lost in the courts after excluding trans women from her Giggle app, and to repeal the Sex Discrimination Act in order to discriminate against trans women.

鈥淭rans rights are under attack from a bigoted far-right transphobic coalition: 鈥榝eminists鈥� in coalition with the racism of One Nation and Trump, holding a rally at 12pm. We call for protest in love, rage and solidarity to defend trans people, and fight both transphobia and the violent, racist colonial capitalist system. We demand an end to sexism and inequality. Fight for gender freedom!鈥�

Reports show that the anti-trans rally, organised by a group who call themselves Street Action Victoria, attracted less than 100 people, despite expecting more than 300. Meanwhile, the counter-protest attracted over 300.

“We wanted to dispel the narratives that they were trying to put forward, so we just wanted to have a big party on the streets and show how miserable and pathetic they are, and I think that we did that,” a spokesperson from the Trans Action Network told 17c起草社区.

“I think we managed to ensure that the transphobes didn’t get the media coverage that they were wanting – and also destabilise and demotivate their movement. Given the fact that they got a really low turnout that didn’t get the media coverage that they were obviously hoping to get shows that we definitely achieved that goal.

The only coverage of the event in mainstream media seems to be from The Herald Sun, which reported on the large amount of riot police deployed. However even they that the counter-protest was peaceful.

“On the opposite side, the protest has been peaceful with the crowd of a few hundred playing music and dancing under the watchful eyes of police”.

 

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Former Greens candidate for Cooper, Tara Burnett attended the counter-protest and described it as “an expression of trans joy”.

“Speakers playing hyperpop, people waving flags and bl氓hajs and signs, jeering when the sounds of bitterness from the other side managed to make their way across the intersection and lines of cops in between,” she told 17c起草社区.

“Despite the transphobes being outnumbered almost ten-to-one by our counter protest, the largest amount of space was taken up by those lines of cops: one deep on their side, four deep on ours including PORT in full riot gear, weapons out and at the ready, clearly looking for any excuse or opportunity to charge through at us. According to photojournalists with whom I spoke, the police were working with the transphobe rally’s organisers and only allowing through approved attendees and media. It says something about the priorities of a rally to “protect women” when not only is their gender balance worse than the counter, but independent female journalists were blocked out in favour of a convicted domestic abuser.”

Burnett also explained that the counter-protest was important, because “trans people, particularly trans young people, are being used as the thin end of the wedge for attacks on not just 17c起草社区IA+ people but women more broadly.”

“Transphobic narratives are being pushed by corporate media and accepted by far too much of our political class. It therefore falls to ordinary people, cis and trans alike, to stand up for a community that increasingly finds ourselves on the margins. A show of solidarity in the form of hundreds of people coming out to cheer on trans rights and jeer at bigots, even on a cold and unpleasant July day, is a clear and direct way of doing that.”