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Australian Court Upholds Trans Woman’s Win Against Women-Only App, Doubles Damages

The judgment clarifies that appearance-based screening can breach gender identity protections under Australia’s Sex Discrimination Act.

Overview

  • The Full Court ruled Friday that Giggle for Girls and founder Sall Grover directly discriminated against Roxanne Tickle based on her gender-related appearance.
  • The judges found two unlawful acts of exclusion tied to Tickle’s selfie review and her later bid to be readmitted to the app.
  • Damages were increased to A$20,000, with the court citing aggravating conduct that included repeated misgendering, and it ordered payment of specified legal costs.
  • The court rejected arguments that the women-only platform qualified as a lawful “special measure” or safe space, signaling that such policies cannot be used to bar trans women.
  • Tickle’s account was first cleared by the app’s AI in early 2021 before Grover’s manual review led to her removal despite a birth certificate listing her as female, and Grover now says she will seek a High Court appeal that could shape how other single-sex services operate.