Tickle v Giggle is no laughing matter: The devastating consequences of making truth unsayable

Smith tries to remain sane in a frightening world. He tries to remain free, though knows the folly of his ‘thought-crimes’. He fails, is imprisoned, then tortured in Room 101. Dehumanised and beaten, objective reality ceases to matter.

Orwell’s most enduring work is a stark warning about totalitarianism, including the psychological cost of being forced to live in lies.

Australia is a democracy, not a totalitarian country. Nevertheless, state-sanctioned muddying of the word ‘woman’ in law has corrupted minds. When ‘woman’ ceases to mean ‘adult human female’, chaos ensues. It also leads to frightening punishment for women who refuse to go along with this assault on truth, and their rights.

The most infamous in Australia is Sall Grover, founder of ‘Giggle,’ a woman-only social-networking site. Last week, she lost her final chance to appeal a successful case brought against her by trans-identifying man, Roxy Tickle. An obvious male, who wishes to be a woman, Tickle tried to join her app in its early days, in 2021.

Grover, a former screenwriter, had never heard the word ‘transphobe’ when she set up her venture. She had no idea the trouble she’d face creating a ‘female-only’ app. It would’ve been uncontroversial in the recent past.

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Instead, her site was attacked as ‘transphobic’ from the minute she launched it, catapulting her into a discombobulating new world.

Hundreds of men – trans-identifying and otherwise – tried to circumvent her still-in-development facial recognition software to join the site: a coordinated attempt to destroy her business before it even got off the ground.

New to the ‘gender wars’, Grover hoped it would blow over. Instead, five years later, she’s spent over $1.2 million - crowdfunded by supporters globally - defending herself against Tickle’s appalling, and, to my mind, abusive, persecution of her.

In 2022, he brought an initial discrimination claim, after Grover manually removed him – and many other men - from Giggle’s site. It was ruled she must allow him, and all men who claim to be women, on her platform. Additionally, she must undertake ‘education’ courses on gender-identity, monitor Giggle’s forums to remove anything offensive to ‘trans women’, and personally apologise for hurting Tickle’s feelings.

She refused. Because 2+2 is not 5.

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Tickle escalated, winning in federal court. Grover was judged to have indirectly discriminated against him, fined $10k, with the judge concluding ‘sex’ is a malleable legal category.

Still smarting, Tickle then appealed his own win.

He wanted more. He won again; the punishment for Grover intensified. At appeal, it was ruled she’d directly discriminated, her fine was doubled, and she was also charged extensive damages for laughing in court at the sheer absurdity of it all.

Australia’s High Court have now refused to hear her appeal, confirming she’s no chance of overturning the ruling on legal grounds.

This means women in Australia have no sex-based rights. No sports, rape crisis services; no guaranteed male-free spaces at all. ‘Woman’ is a legal category that includes men.

Punishment awaits anyone trying to uphold women’s former rights. The country, in other words, has lost its mind.

Grover remains entirely correct - morally and in reality - that men are not women. She was heavily pregnant when Tickle filed his first claim. Now mother to a four-year-old daughter, she’s said in numerous interviews it is for her that she fights.

While many turn away from the social and political impact of this maddening ideology, women like Grover simply don’t have that luxury. Activists like Tickle - and their many zealous acolytes - have viciously upended many women’s lives. Refusing their demands takes a significant toll but is vital.

In Australia, Grover’s case could mark a turning point. Her loss is down to two things, one political, one cultural.

First, a 2013 amendment to Australia’s Sex Discrimination Act, which supplanted sex for ‘gender identity’, meaning ‘woman’ now includes ‘trans women’ (men). As is typical from a group who have long taken a mile when given an inch, the country’s trans activists have made gleeful use of this.

Second, because Roxy Tickle’s entitlement could power several lunar shuttles. But, neither the law - nor his actions - are widely supported, nor remotely sane.

The international interest in Grover’s case makes the issue unignorable in Australia, where ostrich-style avoidance of this topic by the media has long been a problem. I share her belief the law will now change.

In the UK - despite women’s exhausting challenges against gender-identity activism – we’ve been relatively lucky. Trans-identifying people have always had full protection, under the protected characteristic of ‘gender reassignment’, in the Equality Act 2010.

To retain women’s rights, we needed the definition of ‘sex’ in law clarified, not rewritten. Courtesy of For Women Scotland’s Supreme Court win last year, that’s happened.

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But, we can’t rest on our laurels. This powerful ideology relentlessly tries to muddy laws, to overturn reality. The latest attempt here is the push for ‘trans-inclusive’ conversion therapy bans, which are purposefully being spun as ending Room 101-style torture of gay men and lesbians.

In truth, this is yet another attempt to have ‘gender identity’ enshrined in UK law, with legal punishment for those who question it. This has played out in country after country. It’s currently a toss-up between Canada and Australia over how socially destructive it can be.

We’re not in Orwell’s bleak nightmare world. The gender-identity boot will stop stamping women’s faces eventually. But, Australia’s law is an ass; Sall Grover’s punishment cruel and extraordinary. Politicians must urgently grasp the baton she’s handed them, and immediately change the law to reflect reality.