This article was originally published by QNews. You can find the original article here.
Tasmania’s LGBTQIA+ community is taking action over the defacing of a memorial for transgender woman Marjorie Harwood.
The memorial, near the Risdon Brook roundabout in Hobart, was vandalised with a Nazi symbol.
The Nazi symbol is illegal in Tasmania.
Community members have reported the incident to the Anti-Discrimination Commissioner and Tasmania Police.
They are also exploring improvements to the memorial’s security to prevent future attacks.
‘We won’t be passive victims’
Tasmanian transgender advocate Martine Delaney, who helped clean and restore the memorial, said the community would not rest until the memorial was secure.
“As well as desecrating the memory of Marjorie and effectively attacking all trans folk, the use of illegal Nazi symbols should be of concern to all Tasmanians who want to live in an inclusive and hate-free society,” Delaney said.
“We will not rest until this memorial is safe from hate, which is the reason we have reported this to the Anti-Discrimination Commissioner and the police, and why we are looking at further security measures.
“We will never be the quiet and passive victims haters want us to be,” she said.
Hate crime legislation plea
The Equality Tasmania group said the incident underscored the need for new hate crime legislation.
Equality Tasmania president Dr Ash Russell said: “The attack on Marjorie’s memorial shows why it is important for parliament to pass the state government’s proposed hate crime legislation.
“The proposed law will send the message that hate has no place in Tasmanian society, including hate against LGBTIQA+ people,” they said.
Who was Marjorie Harwood?
In 2017, despite being identified on prison files as a trans woman, Marjorie Harwood was housed in a men’s prison. She was beaten and raped by five male inmates.
When it seemed likely she would be incarcerated again in 2018, she refused treatment for a congenital kidney condition.
She died a month later.
Last year, it was revealed Tasmania had a transgender prisoner policy throughout Marjorie’s time in custody – but it hadn’t been followed.
Marjorie’s mother Rosemary Harwood has issued numerous calls for a coronial inquest into her daughter’s death.
The memorial to Marjorie was created in 2021 by Rosemary and Martine Delaney.
Previous defacement
This is not the first time Marjorie Harwood’s memorial has been defaced.
In 2023, it was spray-painted with the slogan ‘YWNBAW’ – an anti-trans acronym for ‘you will never be a woman’.
“As a mum, it just hurts so much to think they would attack Marjorie’s memorial,” Rosemary said at the time.
“I want whoever did this to know that if they do it again, we will keep cleaning it off.
“They will not defeat us. We will keep Marjorie’s memory alive no matter what.”
