Giggle for Girls app discriminated against trans woman Roxanne Tickle, appeal judge rules when doubling damages

The federal court has upheld a landmark decision that found a women-only social media app and its founder unlawfully discriminated against Roxanne Tickle after the transgender woman was denied access to the platform.

In their judgment on Friday, 15 May, justices Melissa Perry, Wendy Abraham and Geoffrey Kennett affirmed an August 2024 finding that Tickle was discriminated against on the basis of her gender identity, and also sided with Tickle’s cross-appeal, claiming she experienced two instances of direct discrimination by the Giggle for Girls app and its founder Sall Grover.

The app and Grover had challenged justice Robert Bromwich’s milestone decision which found they had indirectly discriminated against Tickle when she was barred from the platform because they thought she was a man.

On Friday, the full bench of the federal court in Sydney upheld Bromwich’s decision and awarded Tickle damages of $20,000, double the amount initially awarded.

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It also ruled Tickle was successful in her cross-appeal, finding she was discriminated against twice, when Tickle was excluded from accessing the Giggle app on the basis of her gender-related appearance, and secondly when her readmission to the app was refused.

Tickle, from regional New South Wales, had her access to the app blocked in 2021 after she uploaded a selfie of her face as part of its registration process.

“The full court has found that Giggle For Girls and Ms Grover both excluded Ms Tickle from the Giggle app and refused to re-admit her on the basis of her gender-related appearance by reference to her selfie,” Perry told the court .

“This amounted to direct discrimination by reference to a characteristic that pertains to people of Ms Tickle’s gender identity, being a transgender woman,” Perry continued.

“Ms Tickle has been successful in her cross appeal under the act, gender identity is defined as meaning gender-related identity and gender-related characteristics, including appearance.”

The judges agreed discrimination against Tickle on the grounds of her gender identity was contrary to section 22 of the commonwealth Sex Discrimination Act 1984 when read with section 51B of the same act.

At the four-day appeal hearing in August 2025, the full bench of the federal court heard that Grover’s team believed the app – designed as a “women-only safe space” – constituted a “special measure” under the Sex Discrimination Act (SDA), which allows discrimination with the aim of redressing historical disadvantage between men and women.