Transgender: Animal Justice Party candidates resign in row over women’s rights

Two federal election candidates have resigned from their party after being ordered to do “gender training” after liking or sharing Facebook posts about transgender issues.

Two female federal election candidates have resigned after being told they had to undergo “gender training” for sharing or liking two news articles about transgender issues on their private Facebook pages.

Animal Justice Party (AJP) candidates Linda McCarthy and Sue Clarke were reprimanded by a party committee after it was claimed they had received complaints about the articles.

Ms McCarthy said she shared the articles without comment on her personal Facebook page in early April, before the election was called.

Former Animal Justice Party candidates Suzanne Clarke and Linda McCarthy resigned after the AJP said they had to make a public apology and undergo “gender training” after Ms McCarthy shared transgender articles on her private Facebook page. Picture: Zak Simmonds

One article on the Age website was about how trans rights should not automatically trump the rights of other groups, while another on Sky News was about UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson stating that “biological males should not be competing in female sporting events”.

Fellow candidate Sue Clarke, said “her only crime” was to ‘like’ those articles.

Ms McCarthy, 63, who was standing for Forde in Queensland, also shared an article about boys versus women’s swim times in a story about protecting women’s sport.

“These were mainstream articles on my personal page,” Ms McCarthy said.

“If they were offensive Facebook would have removed them.

“We are really bewildered.”

Ms Clarke, 64, standing for the nearby seat of Rankin, said when she was told there had been complaints made against her and asked for evidence, they sent her a screenshot of a Facebook thumbs up emoji she had made on the shared article.

“I thought they were kidding,” Ms Clarke said.

Former Animal Justice Party candidates Suzanne Clarke and Linda McCarthy with their redundant corflutes. Picture: Zak Simmonds

The two candidates were asked to appear in front of an Animal Justice Party panel and told they had to make a public apology and undergo “gender training”, they did not ask what that was.

They refused and resigned instead.

Their names will still appear on the ballot papers, as they’ve already been printed.

“We were told we were going against the views of the party,” Ms McCarthy said.

“They said we had to make a public apology and undertake ‘gender training’, which I thought would be some kind of indoctrination.”

Ms McCarthy said she and Ms Clarke had met controversial Liberal candidate Katherine Deves, who is running on the issue of protecting women’s sports, as approved representatives of the AJP at a feminist conference in March.

Controversial Liberal candidate for Warringah, Katherine Deves, at her home on the northern Picture: Justin Lloyd.

It was also attended by Liberals, Labor and The Greens.

They said they agreed with her stance of protecting women’s sport.

Ms McCarthy said all views should be respected and “we should be able to discuss them like adults even if it’s uncomfortable”.

In a statement on the AJP website it said the candidates had expressed “their views on some transgender issues in a way which we believe was not in line with the AJP’s core values”.

“When it became clear that differences were irreconcilable, the candidates resigned from the AJP and are no longer members,” the statement said.

“The AJP unreservedly apologises for any offence this matter has caused.”

When asked what the “gender training” was, a party spokeswoman said all members were expected to support its new Gender Equality Position, which recognised and celebrated the substantive contributions and achievements of women and gender-diverse persons.