I am currently undertaking legal proceedings against Sun State Roller Derby based in Brisbane, a women's roller derby sports league, part of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association.
Just before Christmas I decided to return to Roller Derby after 2 years away. I had taken part in many training sessions and the League's Christmas party, 2020 as to the league's return to gaming after Covid and I wanted to be part of it. I bought expensive new gear and joined the coaching team, I wanted it to be my best year, a real come back and aid the team to glory, but that was not to be.
Back in January I made comment on an article on Ladbible regards a transgender person suing the NFL for the right to play in the women's league. I said 'biological males should not be allowed in women's sports' I was then berated and threatened by a follow former Roller Derby player, who then sent my comments out of context to my current Roller Derby team Sun State as a grievance: discrimination towards the transgender community. Within 4 days of this complaint I was emailed and excluded from the team as I didn't represent their views. They gave me 10 days in which to reply, to which I replied 'I stand by my comments and no longer wanted to be part of a team that treats its members this way'.
Sun State Roller Derby posted a comment on their official page that a member of their league had been excluded due to some comments around discrimination against the transgender community, to which it was meant with some merriment. I commented "A fellow female who knows the unfairness and safety issues around biological men in women's sports should be silenced and punished? Where did all the feminist go?
I was then met with a tirade of abuse. Transphobic! TERF! Biological men is the most offensive thing you can say to a transgender person! My words cause suicides and I promote murder! -- among other things. As this is in a public and open group. Some dived to my aid, one being my loving and supporting husband, who for all intents and purposes was a Derby widow for the 6 years I played. For those who have played Derby, they know the expense and intense training that goes into Derby. My husband was attacked, called misogynistic and sexiest for citing science and supporting me. Sun State then blocked him from commenting further, while the attacks on myself, my husband, and my supporters continued.
It was horrible to be on the receiving end of, by people who I thought were my friends and by people who didn't know me at all and came from many different Roller Derby leagues across the country. I was left feeling anxious and sick, fearful to ever run into any of these people. I had to read it all, to capture what was being said. I made 2 comments and had to stop due to the one-sidedness and the toxicity of what I was experiencing.
Sun State Roller Derby then stepped in and deleted all the comments that were damaging to them, but allowed new comments to continue.
I would like to hold Sun State Roller Derby to account, to the bullying I went through publicly on their official page, that they either weren't monitoring or were and chose to ignore for some time. If I broke their Code of Conduct under discrimination, then they broke their Code of Conduct under bullying.
I lodged a grievance with Sun State Roller Derby as to the events that unfolded on their page and ask that they hold themselves (the executive committee) and members of Sun State that took part responsible. Sun State Roller Derby did not get back to me about my request for the grievance or even acknowledge my grievance.
This inspired my more serious quest for justice, in seeking legal advice. I am now undergoing proceedings of defamation of character towards Sun State Roller Derby and members of the Roller Derby community who hold themselves as social warriors against any narrative that does not serve them.