A Victorian government ad campaign to encourage acceptance of the trans community has backfired, with hundreds of angry comments directed at the video online.
In the video, released last week by the Victoria State Government Department of Families, Fairness and Housing, numerous scenes depict trans people going about their day and how the reactions of people around them have an impact on their mood.
In one scene, a transgender woman enters a lift and a woman leaves, in another, a women’s sport team welcomes a transgender woman to play with them.
However, Women’s Forum Australia’s Rachael Wong called the campaign a “gross misuse” of public funds.
“Women in Victoria cannot meet in public to discuss their sex-based rights without the threat of abuse and assault from trans rights activists,” she told The Epoch Times.
“Now the government is running a taxpayer-funded campaign designed to control how they think and feel, and even worse, telling them to put men’s feelings above their own instincts and safety.
Ms. Wong noted the campaign’s poor reception among the public.
Giving Visibility to Transgender People
The Victorian government says its “The Unsaid Says a Lot” campaign has been made to encourage people to understand what it’s like to be a person who identifies as transgender facing discrimination, “even if nothing is said.”“Trans and gender diverse communities continue to experience high levels of discrimination, stigma, and unequal treatment despite an increasing acceptance of LGBTIQA+ people and their visibility in the media and popular culture,” a government statement on the campaign said.
“This discrimination increases the likelihood of trans and gender diverse people experiencing adverse health issues such as emotional distress, depression and anxiety.”
The campaign has been supported by leaders from LGBT communities, as well as pro-transgender organisations, including Transcend, Transgender Victoria, Zoe Belle Gender Collective, and Inclusive Rainbow Voices.
The government’s campaign website links to a list of ways to be an “ally” of transgender people, where the community is told to allow people to use whichever bathrooms they please and not to question their identity.
“Recognise that gender diverse people may not match the signs on restroom doors,” the site advises.
“If there are no gender-neutral bathrooms available, offer to accompany a gender diverse person to the bathroom in a buddy system.”
The site also advises readers that they may not be able to tell if someone identifies as transgender or not, and not to press people to reveal their gender identity.
