You may have heard of last Friday’s judgment in the amusingly named court case of Tickle v. Giggle, which concerns a “transwoman” (biological male) (Tickle) who sought admission to a female-only social app called Giggle. The Full Federal Court held in favour of Tickle and has ordered Giggle to pay damages for discrimination. This is clearly the wrong outcome from a common sense and from a Christian viewpoint.
Female-only spaces exist for the protection of women. One could make a good argument that Christianity strongly influenced the creation of such spaces, because the Bible recognises the need for the protection of the weak. No-one should be offended that the Bible identifies women as “weaker” (1 Peter 3:7); there are obvious biological and physical reasons why this is so. The same verse explicitly affirms that women and men are equal as spiritual beings before God. It also says that husbands (and, I would suggest, all men) are to live in an “understanding” manner regarding this power difference. One of the implications is that biological men should respect women-only spaces.
As Christians, we should be concerned for our laws to protect the less powerful. As a result, I wish to lend my voice (such as it is) to the full-throated support of Sall Grover (the creator of Giggle) in her struggle to preserve female-only spaces. A man who identifies as a woman is a troubled soul who deserves our compassion. However, such compassion should not extend to allowing him into these spaces. This is not a time for nuance. It is a time for clarity.
When we pray each week for our governing authorities, that they would “restrain wickedness and vice” and “uphold integrity and truth”, we are, in effect, asking God that plainly wrong legislation such as led to this decision would be repealed by the Federal Parliament.