Criminal “Vilification”: Australia Court Upholds Fine and Compelled Speech in Transgender Case - JONATHAN TURLEY

We have followed the evisceration of free speech values in the United Kingdom and other Western nations.

Australia has been one of the most chilling examples of how a population can be conditioned over time to view free speech as a threat. 

The country now criminalizes and regulates an ever-expanding range of speech, including political and religious viewpoints. 

• The most recent example is the Supreme Court of New South Wales upholding a conviction for ‘vilification’ after women’s rights campaigner Kirralie Smith and the publication Binary Australia referred to two transgender individuals as men due to their biological sex.

That led not only to $95,000 in fines but also to a sentence of compelled speech.

The complaint was filed in November 2023 by Justin “Riley” Dennis and Nicholas “Stephanie” Blanch after the defendants objected to their inclusion in women’s football...