Giggle v Tickle: Australia Court Increases Payout for Trans Woman in Landmark Discrimination Case
The court doubled damages to $20,000 after finding the app and founder Sall Grover excluded Roxanne Tickle because of her gender-related appearance.
- On Friday, the Full Court of the Federal Court dismissed founder Sall Grover's appeal, ruling that she and the Giggle App directly discriminated against Roxanne Tickle on the basis of her gender-related appearance.
- The legal dispute began in 2021 when Grover blocked Tickle from the Giggle app after reviewing her selfie; a 2024 ruling initially found indirect discrimination, prompting both parties to appeal to the Full Court.
- Justices Melissa Perry, Wendy Abraham, and Geoffrey Kennett found the exclusion constituted direct discrimination and ordered damages payable to Tickle increased to $20,000, due within 60 days.
- Under the Sex Discrimination Act, the ruling establishes that excluding individuals based on gender-related appearance constitutes direct discrimination, explicitly rejecting the app's 'special measure' exemption argument.
- The decision sets a significant legal precedent for gender identity discrimination claims, potentially reaching the High Court, and clarifies that service providers cannot use 'special measure' exemptions to exclude users based on gender identity.
34 Articles
34 Articles
Trans woman wins landmark victory in discrimination case against Giggle for Girls app
The Federal Court of Australia has ruled that a women-only social media platform unlawfully discriminated against a transgender woman by banning her from the app and doubled the damages awarded to her.
Founder of 'women-only' app loses appeal after trans discrimination ruling
A “women-only” social media app has lost an appeal to overturn a ruling that found it discriminatory against trans women. In January 2022, Giggle for Girls, marketed as a female-only space that allows women to find roommates, engage in freelance work, find friendship groups and more, came under fire for excluding trans women with its use of artificial intelligence. A court ruling in August 2024 found that Australian businesswoman and founder of …
AUS: Founder of Women-Only App Ordered to Pay Up to $120,000 to Trans-Identified Male For Recognizing Him as a Man
Entrepreneur and founder of a women’s-only application has been ordered to pay $20,000, with an additional maximum of $100,000 in court fees, to a trans-identified male after he was denied access to the platform. CEO of Giggle for Girls Proprietary Limited, Sall Grover, was also found to have “discriminated” against Jason “Roxy” Tickle by recognizing him as a male in a selfie he submitted for on-boarding. The ruling comes after more than four ye…
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