LGB Alliance Australia Responds to Minister’s Gender Parity Announcement

LGB Alliance Australia acknowledges yesterday's announcement from The Hon Katy Gallagher, Federal Minister for Women regarding Australia’s improved international ranking on gender parity.

While metrics such as these can reflect important developments, we remain gravely concerned by the government’s ongoing refusal to define woman based on biological sex. Homophobic policy positions supporting the notion that males can be lesbians have no place in Australian society.

True progress for women must be grounded in material reality. Without clear, sex-based definitions, legislation and policy is not only ineffective but harmful to the very population they intend to support.

“Women’s rights were won on the basis of sex,” said a spokesperson for the LGB Alliance Australia. “To ignore this fact is to erode the legal and social protections that women and in particular our lesbian community urgently need.”

This failure to define “woman” by sex has real consequences—particularly for lesbians. In national strategies like the National Action Plan for the Health and Wellbeing of LGBTIQA+ People 2025–2035, the Government defines a lesbian as someone who “identifies as a woman” and is attracted to others who also “identify as women.” This definition breaks the link between biological sex and sexual orientation, allowing males who identify as women to be classified as lesbians. In doing so, it undermines the meaning of lesbianism and erases the rights of women who are exclusively same-sex attracted.

We call on the Minister to immediately adopt evidence-based, sex-based policy to ensure genuine parity and protection for women.