The eSafety Commissioner’s office has censored yet another user’s account on X (formerly Twitter), targeting posts that were critical of queer ideology.

Celine Baumgarten, who writes on Twitter/X under the name “Celine against The Machine” published her concerns about a Melbourne primary school for running Queer Clubs for students aged between 8 and 12 years old. 

Celine, a proud bisexual woman herself, is concerned about young people being groomed “with leftist ‘queer’ ideology”. Her video was geo-blocked in Australia at the direction of the eSafety Commissioner. 

Celine is being represented by the Free Speech Union as she applies to have the decision reversed in the Administrative Appeals Tribunal. 

HRLA clients Billboard Chris (Chris Elston) and Jasmine Sussex similarly had their tweets removed at the direction of the eSafety Commissioner, an unelected bureaucrat censoring information online on behalf of the government. Both Chris and Jasmine were engaging in debate about transgender ideology.

Billboard Chris, like Celine, is also challenging the decision in the Administrative Appeals Tribunal. Chris is being represented by HRLA, and his legal defence is being supported by ADF International. HRLA is part of ADF International’s allied network.

As ADF International has noted:

“It is vital we challenge the global spread of censorship. We’re used to hearing about governments punishing citizens for their ‘wrong’ speech in parts of the world where strict blasphemy laws are still enforced – but now, from Australia, to Mexico, to Finland, we see Western governments increasingly take authoritarian steps to shut down views they don’t like, often by branding them as “offensive”, “hateful”, or “misinformation.”

Everyone has a right to take a stand for what they believe in. Controversial issues should be openly debated, not silenced by the government. Censorship begets more censorship and once the state wields its power to silence speech, there is no logical stopping point for government restrictions on free expression. Everyone loses when speech is restricted. 

Freedom of speech should not be limited to expression that those in power agree with. 

HRLA assists individuals like Billboard Chris to defend themselves against increasing government censorship that seeks to silence opponents' views.