Australia’s Federal Court has delivered its long-awaited judgment in the Giggle v Tickle appeal, finding in favour of Roxanne Tickle.

The full court, made up of Justices Melissa Perry, Geoffrey Kennett and Wendy Abraham, handed down the decision today after a two-day hearing last August.

The case involved Sall Grover, founder of the women-only social networking app Giggle, who had removed Roxanne Tickle, a biological male who identifies as a transgender woman, from the platform. Grover appealed an earlier 2024 ruling that found the exclusion amounted to indirect discrimination. Tickle cross-appealed, seeking a finding of direct discrimination and higher damages.

The court ruled that Giggle and Grover directly discriminated against Tickle on the ground of gender identity by excluding them based on their gender-related appearance, as shown in a selfie, and then refusing to readmit them. 

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The judges agreed with the original decision on the interpretation of special measures under the Sex Discrimination Act, concluding that the app’s women-only policy did not provide a defence in this instance. They increased the damages award to $20,000, taking into account what they described as aggravating conduct by Grover.

I’m disgusted at the decision that’s just been handed down by the Federal Court in the Tickle vs Giggle case.

It flies in the face of biological reality, and strips rights from women.

Women’s spaces are not being protected and are no longer safe.

I will back Sall Grover in…

— Pauline Hanson 🇦🇺 (@PaulineHansonOz) May 15, 2026

One Nation leader Senator Pauline Hanson condemned the decision, saying she was “disgusted” by the ruling. She said it “flies in the face of biological reality, and strips rights from women”, and pledged to “back Sall Grover in Parliament”. Hanson described One Nation as “the only party which has tried to amend the Sex Discrimination Act to remove identity politics and reflect biological reality” and said she would continue efforts to change the law.

The Full Federal Court’s decision in Tickle v Giggle confirms the original finding that the Giggle for Girls app unlawfully discriminated against Roxanne Tickle.

The Coalition’s position remains clear: women and girls have a right to safe, private and fair single-sex spaces.…

— Senator the Hon. Michaelia Cash (@SenatorCash) May 15, 2026

The decision has prompted immediate calls from some Coalition supporters for a legislative responses. In comments responding to Liberal Senate Leader Michaelia Cash, several users pressed the Liberal Party to commit to repealing what they described as the “Gillard amendment” to the Sex Discrimination Act and to restoring “single sex rights”. Others urged a referendum to “enshrine… biological rights in the Constitution”.

The Full Federal Court has handed down its judgement in Giggle v Tickle.

In a shock to women across the country - Sall Grover not only lost her appeal, the Court set aside the original finding of indirect discrimination and replaced it with direct discrimination, upholding… pic.twitter.com/bQ3aWzuXF6

— Stephanie Bastiaan (@stephbastiaan) May 15, 2026

Stephanie Bastiaan described the outcome as “a verdict on the law, not on Sall”, arguing that the judges were constrained by the 2013 amendments. In her assessment, those changes had left women “with no meaningful rights or recognition under the Sex Discrimination Act”, and she called for the amendments to be repealed so the Act would once again “recognise biological reality and protect women's right to single-sex spaces”.

The court stressed that its role was to interpret and apply the existing law, not to express views on the broader social debate. It noted the decision relates only to the specific facts of this case and the forms of discrimination argued before it, and that different circumstances or exemptions could lead to different outcomes in future matters.

The proposed orders include dismissing Grover’s appeal, allowing Tickle’s cross-appeal, setting aside the original indirect discrimination declaration and replacing it with one of direct discrimination, varying the damages to $20,000 payable within 60 days, and capping costs orders at $50,000 for each side.

I am absolutely devastated
Men who claim to be women have more rights than actual women in Australia.
It is women who are being discriminated against, not the men who claim to be us.

But in a sense, nothing has changed: we will all wake up tomorrow & men will still not be women.

— Sall Grover (@salltweets) May 15, 2026

Tickle has received strong institutional support both inside and outside the courtroom, as well as online support from progressive trans rights groups. The Sex Discrimination Commissioner Anna Cody, the Australian Human Rights Commission, and the activist group Equality Australia have all backed their case. Equality Australia told the court that “sex” in the Act is not limited to biology, but can also include social recognition and personal identity.

Grover is expected to seek leave to appeal to the High Court of Australia. The outcome is likely to influence future cases involving women-only services, sports, and public spaces across the country.

This remains a developing story with significant implications for women’s rights in Australia.