TERF app developer is appealing federal court’s discrimination ruling

The self-described TERF founder of a social networking app for cisgender women was recently ordered to pay damages for using AI technology to exclude trans women. Now, she is appealing the decision, claiming to “protect the rights of both sexes in our society.”

Giggle for Girls was an app founded in 2022 by Australian businesswoman Sall Grover, designed to connect women looking for friends, roommates, travel companions, and more. Trans women were intentionally (and imperfectly) excluded from the app through AI facial recognition technology that examines bone structure to determine gender. In 2022, the app shut down in the aftermath of the ensuing backlash.

Finally, the ultimate test has been prepared for trans-girls. We shall await our judgment like sheep. All it takes is one selfie—if giggle lets us in, we are welcomed into the society of women, to pass forevermore. If not, we shall be abandoned in a heap of offals and excrement pic.twitter.com/lZnw8AzZF0

— achot katana (@transbitch) February 7, 2020

That same year, a trans user from South Wales, Roxanne Tickle, filed a discrimination lawsuit against the company. Tickle was removed from the app “because she did not look sufficiently female,” according to The Guardian. The suit represented Australia’s first gender identity discrimination case to reach a federal court.

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In a landmark decision this past August, Justice Robert Bromwich found Grover in violation of the Sex Discrimination Act. Grover was ordered to pay A$10,000 plus legal costs to Tickle.

On Tuesday, Grover filed a formal appeal, claiming that the decision “misinterprets the fundamental rights of women and girls, and the principles of single-sex spaces essential for their safety and dignity.”

“This case underscores a critical conversation about gender identity and the necessity of protecting the rights of both sexes in our society,” she added.

“As we move forward with our appeal, we emphasize that women standing up for their rights, including the right to single-sex spaces, are acting with bravery, honesty, and integrity,” Grover said in a statement on Thursday.

“This is not an act of unkindness or bigotry; rather, it is a stand for fairness, honesty and truth, acknowledging the unique experiences and challenges faced by women and girls.”

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Tickle told The Guardian that she was “very disappointed” in the news. “Post-gender transition should be the most joyous years of my life,” she said. “I had my new life ahead of me, and now I am being dragged back to court for who knows how long. All because of a very small group of people who are committed to making the lives of people they’ve never met very difficult.

“Trans and gender diverse people exist. Our legal system recognizes this. Society at large recognizes this. I shouldn’t have to spend years of my life in court to either prove I exist or to have my existing legal rights upheld.”

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