Key Points
- Transgender rights supporters have criticised Mr Albanese's decision to appear on Mr Morgan's show.
- Mr Morgan asked Mr Albanese “What is a woman?”
- Many were unsatisfied with his answer.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has been criticised for the responses he gave to questions about transgender people during an interview on the Piers Morgan Uncensored show.
Mr Morgan asked Mr Albanese, "What is a woman?"
The question is commonly used by anti-transgender activists to lead into accusations that transgender women are not ‘real’ women.
"An adult female," was Mr Albanese's reply.
Mr Albanese, who is in London for on Saturday, said he found the question easy to answer.
"I respect people for who they are and it's up to people to, you know, be respected and I know that there is some controversy can come at times like that and I'm not a fan of some of the campaign - there was recently a very controversial visit to Australia that was designed to stir up issues," he said on the show, which aired on Wednesday Australian time.
"People who are young people coming to terms with their identity and who they are, I think they need to be respected as well."
Mr Albanese was referring to a visit from UK anti-transgender activist Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull who led an anti-transgender rights rally in Melbourne where around 30 men dressed in black .
Anna Brown, CEO of Equality Australia, which works to protect the rights of LGBTIQ+ people, told SBS News questions like this have an agenda and "our leaders don't have to play into their game."
“But when any leader is asked a question designed to attack trans women, they should first call it out for what it is. They can instead speak to trans people in Australia and directly let them know that they will not be part of the punching down.”
Ms Brown said Mr Albanese was presented "with an opportunity to recognise trans women and to stand with them against deliberate and harmful attacks.”
"What would you do, for example, on this issue of transgender athletes in women's sport?" he asked.
Mr Albanese responded by saying that it's up to the organisations to contend with the issue and that Australia’s sporting codes are able to “deal with it” if needed.
Australian Greens MP Stephen Bates said Mr Albanese needed to "Get a spine, and stop mumbling platitudes in an attempt to placate the transphobes".
"You don't get to and then ignore us when things get tricky for you," he wrote on Twitter.
Just.Equal Australia spokesperson Sally Goldner said the organisation would call for a trans and gender diverse advisory committee to federal cabinet, following Mr Albanese's "repeated failure to defend trans women".
"Trans and gender diverse Australians need a prime minister who will defend them, not one who sucks up to right-wing provocateurs," she said.
Ms Goldner said Just.Equal, a national lobby and advocacy group representing the LGBTIQ+ community, would write to Mr Albanese expressing its concerns.
Some Twitter users said Mr Morgans' questions were "dog-whistling" to people with anti-trans views.
The dog-whistle analogy is used to describe a message that not everyone can hear — communicated through words or phrases commonly understood by a particular group of people, but not by the general population.
"Great, so Albo did an interview with right-wing shock jock Piers Morgan - already bad enough," transgender Twitter user Eleanor Evans wrote.
"But then, he used it as an opportunity to drop anti-trans dogwhistles while umming and ahing about 'respect'."
When Mr Albanese was asked the same question during the 2022 election campaign, he gave the same answer - "an adult female".
LGBTIQ+ Australians seeking support with mental health can contact QLife on 1800 184 527 or visit . also has a list of support services.
