- Australia’s Northern Territory Parliament voted 16-5 to pass the Sex Industry Bill 2019, decriminalizing prostitution, brothels, and johns. Legal experts warn that the law could allow traffickers and men who pay for sex to sue them for poor performance. In response, Independent MLA Gerry Wood has called for a full inquiry into laws around sex work. ABC reports:
“He said by the time the laws were reviewed in three years time there would be ‘more vulnerable young people in prostitution, and industry more entrenched.’
Mr Wood has advocated for the Nordic model, under which the purchase of sex is illegal rather than the sale.”
- Abusers are increasingly weaponizing technology to stalk, harass, and intimidate women. A survey from the National Network to End Domestic Violence found 50 per cent of victim service providers report that offenders use smartphone applications to stalk survivors, and another 41 per cent use GPS tracking.
- New homicide figures released by Statistics Canada reveal that the number of Indigenous women dying by homicide is on the rise, marking a second consecutive annual increase.
- A sociology professor at Oxford caused controversy after publishing articles stating that lesbian communities are negatively impacted by transgender ideology. In Quillette, Michael Biggs, wrote:
“Girls who are attracted to women and reject stereotypical femininity are now encouraged to become transmen… young lesbians are vulnerable to aggressive pursuit by transwomen, which activists celebrate as ‘breaking the cotton ceiling.”
According to student news outlet The Oxford Student, campus organization Trans Action Oxford is calling for the determination of Professor Bigg’s employment.