Mayor Clover Moore evicts women’s legal charity for defending women

A women’s legal charity is being booted out by Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore over posting links to articles defending women-only spaces.

Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore has “cancelled” the Glebe premises of a women’s legal clinic because she disagrees with its views on defending women-only spaces.

The charity Feminist Legal Clinic operates from a rent-free Sydney City Council office to help women facing domestic violence and family law court matters.

But the service attracted the ire of Ms Moore by including links on its website to online articles including news stories discussing the tension between transgender rights and the rights of women and girls.

Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore. Picture: Richard Dobson

Now it has to vacate the premises by August 19.

The online links also discussed issues around puberty blockers and hormonal treatments on children, and allowing men into women-only spaces.

But the council objected and demanded the organisation take down the links, saying the articles had “negative attitudes” towards transgender people and “had the potential for generating discrimination”.

The censorship was described as “Orwellian” by Senator Claire Chandler.

She said the council even threatened that council officers would “conduct regular reviews of material to ensure compliance” and withdraw the clinic’s eligibility to seek grants.

Liberal Senator Claire Chandler argued in defence of the women’s legal clinic, saying the City of Sydney Council was curtailing free speech. Picture: AAP/Mick Tsikas

“It is appalling that the City of Sydney would prefer to evict a legal clinic helping women facing domestic violence, than allow them the freedom to say that biological sex is real and that women’s sex-based rights are important,” she said.

Principal solicitor of the service, Anna Kerr, said the decision had undermined women’s sex based rights.

“We are not discriminating and many trans people agree with us that there are questions that need to be considered to ensure women and children’s human rights are not undermined,” she said.

“Advocating for women’s sex-based rights is not transphobic. Posting news reports is not transphobic.”

Feminist Legal Clinic principal solicitor Anna Kerr.

Rachael Wong, Women's Forum Australia chief executive

Women’s Forum Australia chief executive Rachael Wong, who advocates for women, said it was a “travesty” and “should not slip under the radar”.

“The appalling decision by the City of Sydney Council is just one instance of many where trans considerations are being elevated above the rights and welfare of women and girls in our current culture.

“We must speak up for the Feminist Legal Clinic, for women and girls, and for the sake of justice – or at the very least, we should do so spurred on by the chilling reality that we could be next.

“It is devastating to see a much-needed women’s legal service cancelled by so-called progressive politicians, for no reason other than it dares to defend women’s sex-based rights and question the harmful impact of extreme gender ideology on women and children.”

Renowned feminist Dr Renate Klein said the forced vacation of the premises amounts to “sex discrimination and bullying”.

She said the website link to the Declaration on Women’s Sex-Based Rights was simply a confirmation that 52 per cent of the world’s population required freedom from violence and attacks.

“The Declaration asks nothing more than to reaffirm women’s autonomy, including protecting single-sex spaces for female victims of male violence in shelters and prisons.”

Defending the decision, Lord Mayor Clover Moore, who has described herself as a feminist, said “the City stands with our trans community and against all forms of exclusion”.

“All women, including trans women, deserve to be respected, included and safe in the City of Sydney.

“Our grants and properties are in high demand and our residents and rate payers expect they be offered to people and organisations who provide community benefit and that don’t conflict with our values.”