A survey has found New South Wales residents overwhelmingly opposed to their state’s proposed Equality Bill that would introduce multiple gender ideology-based laws. Among other measures, they would allow people to self-identify their gender on official forms; make it easier for children to access medical gender transitions; and allow prostitution near schools and churches.
The Daily Telegraph reports that out of 13,258 NSW citizens who responded to a survey conducted by a parliamentary inquiry into the impact of the Equality Legislation Amendment (LGBTIQA) Bill, 85% of them rejected the bill altogether.
The Australian Christian Lobby (ACL) described the result as an “unprecedented and unmistakable denunciation of its extreme agenda.” National Director of Politics Wendy Francis declared: “The people of NSW have sent an unequivocal message — this reckless bill must be stopped in its tracks.”
“This far-reaching legislation would permit anyone to change their legal sex on official documents based solely on self-declaration. It would scrap medical requirements for sex changes; allow prostitution near schools and churches; facilitate the exploitation of women through overseas commercial surrogacy; and eliminate crucial female-only protections and services,” Ms. Francis asserted.
The bill which was introduced by independent Sydney MP Alex Greenwich was strongly opposed by church groups, but the survey found statewide opposition appeared to be far more widespread. Almost 83% opposed plans to enable people to change their sex by simply filling out forms. 82% rejected plans to allow 16-year-olds to consent to medical treatments without their parent’s permission.
The ACL’s Wendy Francis observed the bill “flagrantly disregards mounting international medical evidence, such as the pivotal Cass Review in the UK, which exposed serious risks and uncertainties in the “gender-affirmative” approach to treating children. While other countries hit the brakes on paediatric gender transitions amid alarming new findings, NSW is recklessly fast-tracking these harmful experiments for distressed kids. It’s state-enabled medical abuse”
She added: “The sheer scale and intensity of opposition to this bill from every sector of society — average citizens, women’s groups, concerned parents, medical professionals, faith leaders – is absolutely thunderous. Together they expose this bill to be a fringe, rainbow activist-driven agenda completely out of step with mainstream values.”
“It (the bill) is plagued with problems and has been overwhelmingly rejected by NSW citizens. The bill’s dystopian reforms are not what ‘equality’ looks like, especially not for women and children,” said Women’s Forum Australia chief executive Rachael Wong. Binary Australia’s Kirralie Smith said the “extreme” bill would allow any man claiming to be a woman to access any women’s sports, spaces and services without challenge.
The parliamentary inquiry, which received 66 submissions and heard from 44 witnesses, allowed written submissions and appearances by invitation only. It was told by some women’s groups that changing some definitions of sex in the laws would be “unworkable” and “make current legal protections for women meaningless.”
Supporters of the bill said the survey responses were voluntary and the survey was therefore not an accurate poll. They believe there’s still strong support among NSW MPs for the bill to be passed. The inquiry’s final report recommended no changes to the draft bill and that it now be debated by parliament.
That prompted an alliance of GPs, psychiatrists, psychologists and families called Genspect to state it was dismayed the laws would even be debated after they were overwhelmingly rejected in the survey.
“The public have clearly expressed their opposition to the introduction of gender self-ID and amendments that make it easier for minors to access puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones without parental consent, but the government appears not to be listening,” Genspect spokeswoman Jude Hunter told The Daily Telegraph.
She explained the bill reached into 20 different pieces of legislation and would “seriously diminish the rights of women and girls; allow children to change their name and sex on their birth certificate without parental consent and lead to more children with gender confusion.”
The Australian Christian Lobby said that: “On behalf of the silent majority, the ACL implores every NSW MP to respect the decisive will of the people and reject this extremist bill outright. The public have roared an emphatic ‘NO.’ Now it’s time for politicians to prove they’re listening.”
