Research Highlights Spike In Transphobia After Posie Parker Tour In New Zealand

Transphobic harassment and anti-trans sentiment has risen as a result of Posie Parker’s visit to Australia and New Zealand, analysts have concluded.

The research collected by the independent NZ body, The Disinformation Project has outlined that transphobic behaviour and rhetoric has risen to “genocidal” levels since Parker’s—real name Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull—tour.

Analysts have been monitoring online extremism, with the content being distributed largely by anti-government and anti-mandate groups.

While Keen-Minshull’s tour in Australia saw her facing backlash and counter-protests, with her Melbourne rally seeing neo-Nazis joining her, a chaotic rally in Auckland forced her to cancel the rest of her tour in NZ.

‘They Are Being Hounded’

Since the rally, Disinformation Project researcher Dr Sanjana Hattotuwa spoke with RNZ and noted that the sharp rise in online hatred towards trans folks was beyond anything that he’s seen.

“They are being hounded, harassed and harmed and hated upon online – to a degree we’ve never studied before,” he said.

“Something that we’ve never seen before is the import of content from Australian neo-Nazi, neo-fascist, antisemitic networks and their personal networks, into New Zealand.”

Hattotuwa noted that there was an “extremely strong correlation” between hate online and the possibility of physical violence.

Politicians Against Posie Parker

Several Australian and New Zealand politicians have voiced their anger at Keen-Minshull and her ‘Let Women Speak’ tour.

Senator Lidia Thorpe had joined protestors in Canberra and was physically restrained by police as she tried to confront Keen-Minshull.

Senator Thorpe later spoke about the incident.

“I went to tell her that they are not welcome here. The government needs to answer why these people are allowed into this country,” she said.

Senator Nick McKim told Keen-Minshull during his speech in the senate to “get in the bin,” after the anti-trans activist made comments about McKim’s partner, Greens MP Cassy O’Connor being a “groomer.”

I could not be more proud of my home state of Tasmania for drumming those Nazi-supported transphobes right out of town. 🏳️‍⚧️💚 pic.twitter.com/i3xbEE9VyK

— Nick McKim (@NickMcKim) March 22, 2023

“I say to Posie Parker, or whatever pseudonym Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull wants to go by, that what she did [in Melbourne] was vile, disgraceful, untrue and disgusting,” he said.

“It gives us a window into her dark and warped soul.”