Katherine Deves in hiding after ‘death threats’; PM again defends controversial candidate

Katherine Deves claims her family was forced from their home after death threats were made against her, as the Victorian Premier slams “desperate” trans attacks.

The family of embattled candidate Katherine Deves has been forced out of Sydney after the Liberal hopeful received death threats for her past comments about transgender people.

Ms Deves, who opposes the inclusion of trans women in sport, broke her silence in an interview on Sunday evening in which she detailed the abuse she had received.

“I have had to have the police and the (Australian Federal Police) involved,” she said.

“My safety has been threatened. My family is away from Sydney because I don’t want them to witness what I’m going through and nor do I want their safety put at risk.”

Ms Deves, handpicked to run by Prime Minister Scott Morrison, has come under fire over a series of since deleted tweets, including one which she claimed trans teenagers were “surgically mutilated”.

Her social media footprint was deleted just days before she was announced as the Liberal candidate.

She said she participated in the interview in “a secret location” in order to correct the record, insisting she was not transphobic.

“Going forward, I will be conducting myself in a dignified and respectful fashion. I recognise that the way I prosecuted those arguments was not conducive to proper, reasonable debate,” she said.

“What we are witnessing right now – we are in a time where it is dangerous to speak your mind.”

Mr Morrison has repeatedly refused to distance himself from Ms Deves, painting her as a champion of women’s rights.

On Sunday, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews slammed the Prime Minister and other supporters of Ms Deves, calling for the end to the “cruel” debate.

In a brief statement, NSW Police said it had not received any reports of threats made to Ms Deves.

The AFP said it didn’t comment on “matters that may be the subject of investigation”.

PM DEFENDS DEVES

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has been forced to fend off more questions about a controversial Liberal candidate after the Victorian Premier said it was “cruel” and “desperate” that politicians were crusading on the issue of transgender teens in sport.

Speaking to reporters in Alice Springs on Sunday, Mr Morrison was asked for his view on Warringah candidate Katherine Deves’ previous description of surrogacy as a human rights violation and vanity project.

“Her comments went more broad to that and they weren’t limited to single-sex relationships,” Mr Morrison said.

“The issue is fundamentally about women and girls in sport. Katherine Deves has made the comments she’s made in the past. She knows that a sensitive approach is required.”

Liberal candidate Katherine Deves has campaigned against trans women being allowed to compete against biologically female athletes. Picture: Renee Nowytarger

Ms Deves is one of the founders of Save Women’s Sport, an organisation campaigning to ban trans women from competing against female athletes.

In a series of now-deleted tweets, Ms Deves likened her lobbying to sticking up to the Nazis during the Holocaust and described transgender children as “surgically mutilated and sterilised”.

When asked if Ms Deves’ decision to avoid media scrutiny was good enough, Mr Morrison said she was “working in her local electorate”.

“I wish her well with her campaign,” he said. “I think she’ll do a great job for the people of Warringah.”

Prime Minister Scott Morrison in Alice Spring on Sunday. Picture: Jason Edwards

Ms Deves also found a new ally in Jacinta Price, the Northern Territory Liberal Senate candidate who appeared alongside Mr Morrison.

“The girls here put on a hard hit playing AFL but if you have to be up against a bloke that’s potentially life-threatening and this is what we’re talking about,” Ms Price said.

“Is it up to the media to understand that being pro-women is not being anti-trans as far as I’m concerned. Her language on standing up for women’s rights I agree with.”

Earlier on Sunday, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews weighed in on the trans athlete debate, saying those who push the issue are “desperate people”.

Mr Andrews said that while it was a matter for the codes at the professional level, debating whether trans children should participate in sport with cisgender kids was “cruel”.

“What’s the problem we’re trying to fix here? I’ve been in the parliament for 20 years and I’ve never had a school community come to me and raise this issue,” he said.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews made the comments at a press conference in Moorabbin on Sunday. Picture: Brendan Beckett

Mr Andrews said that the debate had been freshly ignited by politicians as a distraction tactic ahead of forthcoming elections.

“What’s next? The trans kid can’t play a female role in the school play? Is this the biggest issue in our nation today?” he said.

“I don’t think it is and I think only desperate people who are into wedge politics, who are trying to deflect from the fact that they have been in power for almost a decade and they’ve done precisely nothing with it, would push this.”

The issue has dominated the past week of the federal election campaign.

Labor leader Anthony Albanese said sports already had control over the issue.

Under current law, there are exemptions available to discriminate on the grounds of sex or gender identity in any “competitive sporting activity in which the strength, stamina or physique of competitors is relevant”.

The IOC advises all sports to consider transgender inclusion on a case-by-case basis.

Mr Andrews said trans kids were 15 times more likely to self-harm and this debate was harming these children and their families.

“If it’s anyone’s proposition that a trans kid should be told ‘you can sit this out and watch all your classmates’, who frankly would be unconcerned in the main by these sorts of issues, then it seems to me that the adults in this debate are altogether more cruel than the kids,” Mr Andrews said.

“And that’s a damning indictment on those who are pushing this.”

But Australia’s most-decorated Olympian Emma McKeon last week said it was unfair for “biologically male” swimmers to compete against female athletes, and her stance was backed by fellow swimming legend Dawn Fraser and Tokyo teammate Emily Seebohm.

“You want to be inclusive, but you can’t have the females racing against someone who’s biologically male,” McKeon said.

Olympic champion Emma McKeon. Picture: Glenn Hampson

Seebohm agreed, saying: “We want everyone to be included, but we need to work out where that inclusion is. (We need to) make sure that this sport is going to be as fair as it can be.”

The NRLW is expected to give players the call over whether or to implement an AFL-style gender policy that allows transgender women to compete.

In Adelaide last week, Pauline Hanson was questioned by a trans woman in Elizabeth Shopping Centre, and the One Nation leader told her it was a “choice” to transition and she did not support trans women being allowed to compete in sport against biological women.

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Originally published as Katherine Deves in hiding after ‘death threats’; PM again defends controversial candidate