Publications

Sex, Gender & Identity: Trans Rights in Australia (2025) Monash University Publishing, provides a straight-talking, evidence-based look at the realities facing trans and gender-diverse people in contemporary Australia. It cuts through the noise of headline-driven debate to ask why trans people have become targets for prejudice and exclusion, and what it will take to turn the tide toward genuine respect and protection.

Professor Paula Gerber moves the debate away from the familiar flashpoints of sports, bathrooms and access to health care, to focus on the daily harm, abuse and online hate trans people endure, especially trans women and vulnerable youth. Rather than getting lost in sensational narratives, the book explores the history of gender diversity as well as contemporary attitudes, and provides a roadmap to achieving respect and inclusion for trans and non-binary people.

With legal rigour and plain language, the book addresses the roots of intolerance and the mechanisms that can dismantle it. Gerber highlights how law reform, advocacy and education all have a role to play in creating a more rights-respecting community for trans and gender diverse people. She offers answers and solutions that hinge on recognition, empathy and legal protection. The book concludes on an optimistic note, making it clear that meaningful change is possible if we have sustained and engaged commitment from allies, politicians and institutions.