What is the controversy around the “Let Women Speak” tour in Australia?

Organizer claims transgender rights are silencing women

Jennifer Keen-Minshull, the organizer of the “Let Women Speak” tour of Australia and New Zealand, held rallies in several cities claiming that the push for transgender rights is “silencing,” endangering, and discriminating against women.

Debate over Keen-Minshull’s intentions

There has been a lot of debate over Keen-Minshull and whether she is a warrior for women’s rights or an extremist with views that are harmful to the transgender community. Many have listened to her interviews recorded for various podcasts to get to the heart of what she is campaigning for and whether there may be some nuance in all of this.

Liberal MP calls out rally organizers

Liberal MP Bridget Archer called out rally organizers for pretending that it’s about women’s rights when, in reality, it is an anti-transgender protest. She also pointed out that the transgender community has much higher rates of violence perpetrated against them than even women do.

Voters not engaged by the issue

Tony Barry, a former senior Liberal staffer who is now a director at the social research and polling firm RedBridge, says voters are not motivated or engaged by the issue. He believes that the Liberal Party will never be competitive while some of its MPs focus on these fringe issues or position themselves on the extremities of debates.

Lobbying to keep MP from being expelled

It came to light this week that federal Liberal Senator Sarah Henderson has been personally lobbying John Pesutto not to expel Moira Deeming, who is fighting to keep her spot in the party after attending Keen-Minshull’s rally in Melbourne last weekend. The rally was gate-crashed by far-right extremists who performed Nazi salutes.

Controversy over involvement of liberal politicians

The involvement of Liberal politicians with Keen-Minshull’s campaign has been controversial. It remains to be seen whether this issue is resonating with voters or whether it is a fringe issue that will ultimately hurt the Liberal Party’s chances in future elections.

Credit: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-03-26/kellie-jay-keen-minshullanti-trans-rights-liberal-party-debate/102142130

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