Katherine Deves has doubled down on comments perceived by some as anti-trans, saying she wouldn't issue the same apology she made after her remarks sparked a firestorm of controversy during the federal election campaign.
Ms Deves is among those appearing on SBS Insight on Tuesday night, with the program marking its 2023 return with an episode that explores political correctness and the right for people to say what they want across such areas as historical representation of colonialism, language of inclusivity and diversity, and racial representation.
The Liberal Party's former candidate for the federal NSW seat of Warringah, who is also the co-founder of Save Women's Sport, was strongly criticised last year after .
In them, Ms Deves called trans children "surgically mutilated and sterilised" and likened her lobbying to stop transgender athletes from competing in women’s sport to standing up against the Nazis during the Holocaust.
During the election campaign, Ms Deves in the deleted tweets but, arguing the description she used was accurate.
Ms Deves told Insight that while she acknowledged the "confronting" language she had used, she "did not apologise for the substance of the arguments" she was making.
to run for the coalition in Tony Abbott's former seat, and defied calls to drop her as a candidate as controversy around her comments increased. He supported her right to speak freely, telling reporters at the time, “I'm not going to allow her to be silenced."
Asked by host Kumi Taguchi if she would make that same apology again, Ms Deves replied: "No."
"It didn't assuage the people who were coming after me so I think it's better to simply, never justify, never explain, never apologise," Ms Deves told Insight. "Just continue on."
Ms Deves said those expressing provocative opinions are sometimes accused of "killing people", and that conversations on challenging topics need to be approached "respectfully and thoughtfully".
But language matters, said Amelia Bright, a trans-rights activist and former office bearer in the University of Melbourne Student Union's Queer Department.
"When people are allowed to use misinformation and hateful language, it emboldens others to take that into more tangible acts of hate," Ms Bright told Insight.
Amelia Bright is a trans student and former office bearer in the University of Melbourne Student Union's Queer Department. Source: SBS News / Insight
Ms Bright recounted an incident where, following an event by a women’s rights group at the University of Melbourne, “we saw posters saying that sexual predators will be coming soon to a bathroom with you.”
She said it's important to hear from different perspectives on gender ideology, but believes the media should treat these debates with more care.
"Not everybody is an expert," Ms Bright said. "And I think a lot of the Australian media should be putting more emphasis on experts."
Ms Deves also told Insight of the "incredibly difficult" time she faced when her comments were thrust into the spotlight. She said she was "emotionally exhausted", struggled to eat, and relocated to a friend's house that was like "a fortress" because she was being pursued by the paparazzi.
She said the attention made her campaign lose control of its narrative because the comments were "what everyone wanted [her] to talk about".
The Liberal Party had hoped Ms Deves would be able to win back Warringah from independent MP Zali Steggall at last year's May federal election, but she was ultimately unsuccessful.
Insight's episode 'Politically Incorrect' explores a range of perspectives and the ever-shifting boundaries of political correctness. Watch Politically Incorrect on Tuesday 21 February from 8.30pm on SBS or On Demand
