A Hobart mayoral candidate has been accused of mocking transgendered people because she signed off an email by identifying as a frog.

In the email addressed to a non-binary Hobart council member, who uses the pronouns they/them, Louise Elliot identified herself as ‘Kermit (Louise) Elliot’ with the tag ‘riddup – I identify as a frog’.

When one of the councillors who had been cc-ed in the email exchange asked what Elliot meant by identifying as a frog, Elliot replied that it was a ‘personal and private matter’.

She wrote:

‘Are you questioning my gender identity – for your own curiosity – and involving several councillors to witness this discussion?

‘I certainly hope this isn’t the case as I would find that very distressing, humiliating.

‘I would never seek to interrogate anyone else on such a personal and highly irrelevant issue, especially in a group setting.’

The email exchange, which took place in 2020, was leaked to the ABC in the lead-up to this month’s local government election.

The non-binary councillor, to whom the email was addressed, said the email was an obvious indication of where Elliot stood on transgender and queer issues.

‘Obviously, [to Ms Elliot], we are not people who are deserving of the same level of respect as cisgender and heterosexual members of society, which is obviously incredibly offensive.’

The council member identifies as ‘they’, but I cannot bring myself to write ‘they said’. This is not an obvious indication of where I stand on transgender and queer issues. Nor does it mean that I believe non-binary people (although I maintain that science informs us you are either male or female) are undeserving of respect. It’s just that using the plural pronoun ‘they’ to refer to an individual is grammatically incorrect and, thus, confusing as hell.

In Tasmania, it is illegal to offend, humiliate, insult, or ridicule a person on the basis of their gender identity.

Elliot quite rightly pointed out to the ABC that:

‘I did not call anyone names or make horrible statements about others.’

It seems, though, that others are not taking seriously her claim to be a frog. I can only imagine that this would make her very unhoppy.

For the sake of diversity – and remember it is diversity that makes us strong – I hope Kermit (Louise) Elliot is elected. Frogs are underrepresented in Tasmanian politics. Imagine the message of inclusion and acceptance it would send to the rest of the country if a frog was elected mayor of Hobart.

I jest, of course, which is a dangerous thing to do these days.

No one takes Elliot’s claim to be a frog seriously because everyone knows she cannot be a frog. She’s a human.

And isn’t that Elliot’s point? A person is either male or female – a binary, not a spectrum.

And isn’t that why governments are making it illegal to point out the obvious? The only way to stop people fact-checking biology is to compel our speech.

A person can no more be non-binary than Elliot can be a frog. But if we are to live in a world where gender can simply be declared, who is anyone to say Elliot is not Kermit the Frog?

Elect the frog!

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