Sall Grover, the founder of the Australian networking app Giggle for Girls, has stated she intends to leave the country after her legal challenge regarding sex discrimination was definitively rejected by the High Court of Australia. The ruling follows a lengthy legal battle initiated when Grover banned a transgender woman from her app.
Grover's app, marketed as a platform exclusively for women, excluded transgender women. She argued that her app aimed to create a "safe space" for women and sought an exemption from discrimination laws. This stance led to a case brought by Roxanne Tickle, a transgender woman who was banned from the app in 2021.
Initially, the Federal Court found Grover had discriminated against Tickle and awarded damages. This decision was later upheld, with the court doubling the damages to $20,000 and ordering Grover to pay Tickle's legal costs, estimated at up to $100,000. Grover then sought special leave to appeal to the High Court, Australia's highest court.
On Thursday, the High Court rejected Grover's bid for a final appeal. In its brief statement, the court indicated there was "no reason to doubt the Full Court's construction" and that the appeal had "insufficient prospects of success."
Following the High Court's decision, Grover expressed her intent to leave Australia, stating, "I will never forgive the government and I have no respect for the judiciary." She added that she would not "live under an authoritarian nonsense ideology" but acknowledged her ability to leave was a privilege.
Grover believes the court's ruling imposes an obligation on Australians to "adhere to transgender ideology" or face consequences. She stated, "Women still exist and we require legal protections. Currently, we don’t have them. The high court is fine with that." She asserted that the only remaining recourse is for politicians to enact legal changes.
Equality Australia lauded the High Court's decision, with legal director Heather Corkhill stating that Australian laws have long recognized legal sex beyond birth assignment, and any other interpretation would deny the existence of transgender people.
Tickle, who was born male and has undergone gender-affirming surgery and hormone treatment, had previously expressed hope that the Federal Court's outcome would help trans and gender diverse people and their loved ones to heal, looking forward to a community that "embraces freedom and equality for all women."