A protester made an explosive blast at a parliamentary inquiry into a proposed law that will make it easier for transgender people to register a sex change.
Pride in Protest activist Quay-Quay Quade disrupted proceedings with an expletive-filled tirade at the parliamentary inquiry held at the NSW Parliament in Sydney on Wednesday.
The lower house committee is considering legislation called the Equality Legislation Amendment Bill 2023.
The Catholic Archbishop of Sydney, Reverend Anthony Fisher, was giving evidence at the committee hearing which was being streamed live online.
He had been in submission for barely a minute when he was rudely interrupted mid-sentence by Mrs. Quade, who was sitting behind him.
“There is a worrying anti-religious current,” he began before Mrs. Quade stood up and began shouting.
Protester Quay Quay Quade (pictured right) disrupted proceedings at the inquiry in the lower house of the New South Wales Parliament in Sydney on Wednesday.
“That’s a lot of nonsense,” he said.
Mrs Quade, who appeared to be filming on her phone during the outburst, forced the shocked Archbishop Fisher to interrupt his speech.
The live broadcast was cut off when Ms Quade was removed from the room.
Outside parliament, Ms Quade called the investigation a “farce”.
“This investigation is totally theatre, so it looks like the Labor Party is doing something,” he told the ABC.
When the hearing resumed, Archbishop Fisher spoke about the injustices suffered by the LGBTIQ+ community.
“We stand in solidarity with all efforts to discourage or prohibit unfair discrimination against LGBT people,” he said.
Archbishop Fisher also expressed concern that the proposed bill would put gender-specific venues at risk and impose difficulties on the conduct of religious activities such as single-sex prayer and weddings between a man and a woman.
“It is one thing to disagree with the world’s religions on these issues, but quite another to deny them the right to practice their faith by making official documents misleading about a person’s biological or birth sex,” he said.
Ms Quade (pictured) called the inquiry into the proposed legislation futile after speaking to supporters outside the NSW parliament.
Proposed by independent MP Alex Greenwich, the proposed law aims to change 20 acts of parliament, including a controversial amendment to the Registration of Births, Deaths and Marriages Act 1995.
The amendment seeks to change existing laws that require people to undergo surgery and change their sexual orientation to align with their gender identity.
The bill would allow a person 16 years of age or older to change their sexual orientation by signing a legal declaration, which is a legally binding document, to affirm that they identify with a certain gender.
New South Wales is the only state in Australia that requires a person to undergo the procedure before their sex change can be formally registered.
Greens NSW LGBITQ+ spokesperson Amanda Cohn said the proposal would allow New South Wales to have the same rules as other states.
Rev. Fisher (pictured left) said the bill would have implications for faith-based activities that are required in many religions.
Dr Eloise Brook, health and communications manager at the NSW Gender Centre, an organization that has supported transgender communities for more than 40 years, said the change would allow the integration of transgender people into the society.
“These documents open doors of possibilities and connection with families,” said Ms. Brook.
The state government is yet to declare its position on the proposed bill and said they would await the results of the investigation.
The government has expressed concern that the bill could lead to identity theft, which could compromise the safety of the wider community.
A report on the proposed legislation will be presented in June.
