An Australian women’s rights advocate, Kirralie Smith, has been ordered by a New South Wales court to pay $95,000 in compensation to two trans-identified males, Justin “Riley” Dennis and Nicholas “Stephanie” Blanch, for “unlawful vilification” through misgendering in her social media posts and articles. Smith, spokeswoman for Binary Australia, highlighted their participation in women’s football, raising concerns about fairness, safety, and injuries to female players. Magistrate Sharon Freund ruled on August 26 that Smith’s references to them as males constituted vilification, mandating $55,000 to Blanch and $40,000 to Dennis, plus a public apology via a pinned social media post and restrictions on future publications identifying them or their teams. Smith plans to appeal, decrying the decision as an erosion of free speech and women’s rights.
The controversy stemmed from reports of injuries in women’s football leagues involving male players. Dennis, top goal scorer in the NSW Women’s League One First Grade, allegedly injured female opponents, including a aggressive tackle in May 2023, before joining The Flying Bats, an LGBT club with multiple male players that dominated the 2024 season undefeated. Blanch received a participation award in the women’s division at Wingham Football Club in 2022. Smith launched a campaign urging Football New South Wales (FNSW) to address male inclusion, generating over 12,000 letters, which led to Dennis’ name being scrubbed from the FNSW site. FNSW’s 2023 Gender Diversity Policy allows participation based on gender identity, prompting Smith’s advocacy for single-sex sports.
Legal action followed complaints from Dennis and Blanch over Smith’s posts, such as calling Blanch a “bloke in a frock” and questioning safety in women’s spaces, and labeling Dennis the “top male goal scorer” while alleging hospitalizations of female players. An Apprehended Violence Order (AVO) filed by Blanch against Smith for similar misgendering was granted on appeal in March 2024, requiring cost payments, though it was later withdrawn. Smith’s Facebook page was removed in 2023 at the eSafety Commissioner’s request amid the backlash.
Smith expressed dismay at the ruling, stating it redefines “woman” to include males and misapplies “violence” to truthful speech, warning of threats to Australian freedoms and women’s erasure from law. The Flying Bats club, criticized for male-dominated rosters and a 2022 incident where a female player’s leg was broken by a male teammate, received a Fair Play award despite complaints. Over 2,000 grievances to Football Australia highlighted scrutiny, with increased match security, underscoring the need to protect women from trans ideology.