A Sydney court has increased the compensation awarded to an Australian transgender woman who was removed from a female-only social networking app, marking the latest development in a long-running discrimination case.
Roxanne Tickle was originally awarded damages after successfully suing Sall Grover, following her removal from the “Giggle for Girls” platform over her gender identity. On appeal, Grover challenged the ruling, but Australia’s Federal Court upheld the earlier decision and went further, finding that Tickle had been directly discriminated against.
The court also increased the compensation to AU$20,000 (about $14,000; £11,000), doubling the original award.
Grover’s legal team had argued that sex is strictly biological and acknowledged that Tickle had been excluded from the app, but maintained it was on the basis of sex rather than gender identity.
The case, often referred to as “Tickle v Giggle,” is the first of its kind to be heard by Australia’s Federal Court involving alleged gender identity discrimination.
During the original proceedings, the court heard that Grover removed Tickle after viewing her profile photo and concluding she had “male facial features.” Grover later told the court she acted on that impression and blocked the account, saying it was consistent with removing male users.
Under Australia’s Sex Discrimination Act, it is unlawful for service providers to discriminate on the basis of gender identity.
In its ruling on Friday, the full court found that Grover had engaged in unlawful direct discrimination, stating that Tickle had been treated “less favourably than a person designated female at birth” seeking access to the app.
The judges also ruled that the original court had erred in its interpretation of how the account removal was assessed, saying it should have been treated as direct discrimination based on the initial visual review.
The earlier ruling had instead classified the action as indirect discrimination.
Tickle joined the app in 2021, passed the registration process—which included submitting a selfie—and used the platform for around six months before her account was blocked.
Grover launched Giggle for Girls in 2020, saying it was created in response to online harassment experienced by women and aimed to provide a safe, women-only digital space.
Following the latest judgment, Grover said she intends to appeal the decision to Australia’s High Court.