Sall Grover, CEO of female-only social app Giggle, has revealed that the legal fees in her fight to keep her app a female-only space will cost at least $500,000 (US$320,000).
“If it goes to the High Court, and there’s a good chance that it will be, [that will cost] $1 million,” she told the audience at CPAC (Conservative Political Action Conference) in Sydney on Aug. 20.
“So we created our own crowdfunding platform, gigglecrowdfund.com. All the money goes to our fantastic legal team to fight it and make sure that women’s rights are protected in lawful spaces, services and sport, and then also a win for our freedom.”
It comes after a biological male named Roxanne Tickle, who identifies as a transgender woman, was barred from the Giggle app after he tried to join.
But Ms. Grover is arguing that she is discriminating against Mr. Tickle on the basis of sex, not gender identity. Discrimination based on sex, if it is done for the purpose of achieving equality between men and women, is lawful under the Act.
“If they just identify as a woman or identify as a man, it’s a male saying that he’s a woman, and it’s a woman saying she’s a man. So that creates a conflict with biological sex in the Sex Discrimination Act,” she told The Epoch Times.
“Gender shouldn’t be there. If you want to have anti-discrimination laws for gender, have it in the general anti-discrimination act, don’t have it here because it’s just muddled the whole thing.”
Ms. Grover states on her website that the case is significant because if gender identity protection laws are found to be unconstitutional or unlawful, every gender identity law across the country would be rendered invalid.
“As a result, the sex-based protections for women and girls would be re-instated when it comes to their rights to female-only spaces, services, sports and so on,” she said.
She believes that people need to face reality, that sex is binary and that a man cannot become a woman and vis versa, even if it may be uncomfortable for the person hearing it.
“Telling your children lies is not kind; it’s not helping them. It’s not helping adults, either. It’s just nonsense,” Ms. Grover said.
Not a Dime for Mr. Tickle
Ms. Grover believes that regardless of the outcome in the Federal Court, the case will likely move onto the High Court, Australia’s peak court.“So if we lose in federal court, we will appeal it to the High Court. And if they lose in federal court, [there is a] high probability that they will because it’s not just Tickle anymore,” she said.
“The Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has intervened as amicus curiae, which means friend of the court, and the AHRC wrote these laws.
“So they are there defending their own laws, so they’re not going to go down without a fight.”
She also revealed that the legal team behind Mr. Tickle is pro bono, meaning legal services on a significantly reduced fee or completely free.
He also allegedly has received a $50,000 grant from the Grata Fund, a litigation fund for social justice causes.
“So it’s not costing him anything,” Ms. Grover said.
