Meet Roxy Tickle, the transgender campaigner who changed Australia with a court victory that redefines what a woman is

A transgender woman who won a landmark gender identity lawsuit is using her platform to raise awareness about the plight of her community.

Roxanne Tickle, 54, was awarded $10,000 in damages on Friday after a federal court ruled she was discriminated against when she was removed from the Giggle for Girls app in 2021.

Although Ms Tickle, who transitioned in 2017, is listed as female on her birth certificate, the app’s founder Sall Grover argued that Ms Tickle did not meet the platform’s single-gender eligibility requirements because she is biologically male.

The app and Ms Grover were also ordered to pay Ms Tickle’s legal costs.

Ms. Tickle shares her transition journey over the past seven years on her website and social media, where she advocates for transgender rights.

On Instagram, she regularly shares memes that challenge anti-transgender rhetoric and provide insight into the experiences of transgender people.

Last month, she shared a post educating people about how transgender people feel disrespected and as if their identity doesn’t matter when others ignore their gender pronouns.

The chart, titled “10 Things You’re Actually Saying When You Ignore Someone’s Pronouns,” includes: “your safety is not important to me” and “your identity is not real and should not be acknowledged.”

Roxanne Tickle (pictured left) uses her platform to campaign for transgender rights

In another post earlier this month, she shared a meme highlighting the “confusing language” children of her generation were learning in elementary school.

“It’s very simple. If you were born with a vagina and you have naturally elevated testosterone levels, you are a man,” the message begins.

‘If you have a vagina and you take testosterone, you are a woman. But even if you have a vagina, you will never be a man. But even if you have more testosterone, you have never been a woman.’

Other posts detail her transition process, including the letter she sent to the government to legally change her name and friends showing her how to use pads and tampons.

Ms Tickle has also criticised controversial figures such as Harry Potter author JK Rowling and former Liberal Party candidate Katherine Deves for their views.

In February, when surf brand Rip Curl was at the center of a storm of criticism for employing a transgender woman to promote its brand (and then removing the photos), Ms. Tickle joined the debate by calling the company a “coward.”

Ms Tickle also regularly shares news about grim mental health statistics for members of the LGBTIQ community and upcoming law changes.

In 2021, she welcomed a report from the Australian Human Rights Commission calling for changes to protect the rights of members of the LGBTIQ community.

Ms. Tickle shared the above post last month

Ms Tickle shared the above post earlier this month, writing: ‘This is for anyone confused by the discourse, which is at times vitriolic, about people who are not male or female, strictly following the overly simplistic rules we were taught in primary school’

Ms Tickle also welcomed the changes made to the Australian curriculum

“Given the number of people who currently hate transgender and gender diverse people, it’s easy to forget that it’s not okay to discriminate against someone based on their gender identity,” a third post reads.

“Trans women are women. Trans men are men. Non-binary people are non-binary people.”

In another post, she praised the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority for teaching trans-friendly terms in schools.

She said she didn’t stop crying after she found out that children are now being taught how to ‘not ‘everyone is strictly male or female’.

“There will be so many more lives lived in the future that will be more valuable now that we remember this aspect of ourselves,” she said.

She also regularly tries to debunk myths about transgender people and raise awareness about the experiences of the LGBTIQ community.

In June, she shared a link to a magazine article titled “How to Connect with Transgender People: A Beginner’s Guide,” with the caption, “We Only Bite If You Ask.”

Ms Tickle, a hockey player, is also a fierce advocate for trans rights in sport.

In 2020, she was invited by Hockey Australia to help them develop their Trans & Gender Diverse Inclusion for community hockey.

She was subsequently interviewed for media programs and invited to events as part of the launch. In 2023, she was named the sports organization’s Pride Ambassador.

Ms Tickle was appointed Pride Ambassador for Hockey Australia last year

She uses her platform to advocate for transgender rights

On her website, Ms. Tickle writes blogs discussing her experiences, debating transgender people in sport and examining discrimination against the transgender community.

Her page also has a number of resources, including articles, films, and podcasts, that people struggling with their gender identity and their families can turn to for support.

“My name is Roxy Tickle,” her webpage reads.

‘I am transgender and I live in regional Australia. I do not claim to be an expert on all transgender issues.

‘This is simply my story of my transition from male to female, seen through my eyes, mixed with other sources and stories I have encountered on my journey.’

The decision that Ms Tickle suffered indirect discrimination marked the first time that the Federal Court has ruled on the issue of discrimination on the grounds of gender identity.

The court was told that Ms Grover developed the Giggle app as a “safe space” where women could communicate with each other, free from male patterns of online violence.

Giggle’s lawyer Bridie Nolan argued that Ms Tickle was a man and that it was therefore lawful to exclude her from the app due to provisions of the Sex Discrimination Act.

She told Judge Bromwich the court faced the impossible task of determining whether a person was a woman based on her “psychological state” and the fact that she had undergone surgery to remove her reproductive organs.

“This case is the ‘what is a woman’ case,” said Ms. Nolan.

But Judge Robert Bromwich ruled in Ms Tickle’s favour, saying he was drawing a distinction between discrimination based on gender identity and on sex.

“The indirect discrimination cases were successful because Ms Tickle was excluded from using the Giggle app because the respondents said she did not look feminine enough,” he said.

Roxanne Tickle is pictured leaving federal court Friday after winning her case for gender identity discrimination

Sall Grover leaves court on Friday with her supporters, including Rachael Wong, CEO of Women’s Forum Australia.

In a finding that could also have implications for other women-only spaces, Judge Bromwich concluded that the Giggle app cannot discriminate on the basis of gender identity, even though it is considered a special measure to promote equality.

The damages amount is a fraction of the $200,000 Ms. Tickle had sought, half of which was based on aggravated damages.

The latter was based on an online campaign Grover reportedly waged against her, primarily on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

After the decision, Ms. Grover wrote on X: ‘Unfortunately, we got the verdict we expected. The fight for women’s rights continues.’

After her win, Ms Tickle said she was pleased with the outcome and hopes it will be “healing for trans and gender diverse people.”

“Most of the time I can just live my life and be who I am. But a small group of people have taken it upon themselves to declare that I am not who I know I am and have begun to make my life miserable,” Ms Tickle said in a statement.

‘This case and the unlawful and discriminatory exclusion of the Giggle app have stolen the last three years of my life. I have been the target of hateful online comments and demeaning merchandise designed to ridicule and mock me.

“This ruling shows that all women are protected from discrimination. I brought my case to show transgender people that you can be brave and stand up for yourself. I know that I can now move on with the rest of my life and have a cup of coffee with my friends, play hockey with my team and put this horror behind me.”

Friday’s decision can be appealed.