The inclusive Women’s Shed in Ballarat has reiterated that trans women are welcome after a former board member was banned for an alleged anti-trans spray during a meeting.
The shed opened in the regional Victorian city in 2024, to allow women and gender diverse folk to learn woodworking, crafting and home maintenance to help them gain independence.
Earlier in the week, a former board member of the shed was evicted after she claimed the shed’s members were unsafe in the presence of transgender or gender-diverse people.
Women’s Shed Ballarat president Sophie Potter recalled the woman was “spewing” misinformation about transgender and gender diverse people.
“[They] indicated that women in the shed are not safe because of having trans members,” she told ABC News.
The woman declined to comment to the ABC over the incident, but was asked to leave, according to Potter.
“They’re aware that if they come back, we will be calling the police,” she said.
The incident comes after the Federal Court’s Giggle vs Tickle trans discrimination ruling sparked a rise in anti-trans rhetoric across Australia, including in Canberra.
This week Ballarat women’s shed “reassured all members that our organisation remains committed to being a safe, respectful and inclusive space for women and gender-diverse people”.
“We have been open to trans and gender-diverse people from the beginning,” Potter told the ABC.
“They are definitely safe and welcoming members of the shed, the same as everyone else.
“Obviously, for people who have come to our shed to use tools, do craft, and enjoy some companionship on a Wednesday, it’s very confronting to have someone come in and be spewing these views.”
Potter said it was the first time the women’s shed had had an incident, but they’d received an outpouring of support from members calling it out, “to let all of the members of the shed know that they are welcome.”
“We are a place for people to find community and connection, first and foremost, that’s what we focus on,” she said.
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