Martine Delaney (born 15 October 1957[citation needed]) is an Australiantrans rights activist and formersoccer player who became the firsttransgender woman to be inducted into theTasmanian Honour Roll of Women in 2021. She first rose to prominence in 2005 when she received national press attention after joining a female soccer team following hertransition.
Prior to hertransition, Delaney played in men'ssoccer teams inTasmania for twenty-five years.[1][2] In 2005, after her transition, she joinedClarence United, a women's soccer team, becoming the first Australian to play in both men and women's soccer teams.[1][3] A decision made later that year by Soccer Tasmania to permit Delaney to continue to play for the team was subsequently upheld by Football Federation Australia (nowFootball Australia), the national governing body for the sport.[2] Delaney went on to advise Football Australia and theAustralian Football League on the development oftrans-inclusive policies.[4][5]
Since retiring from sport, Delaney has continued to advocate for the rights of trans athletes in sport. In 2022, she criticised the global swimming federation FINA for issuing a blanket ban on the participation of trans women in elite swimming competitions, calling their actions an "inherently discriminatory response".[5] Delaney has long been critical of complaints that trans female athletes have enhanced muscle mass compared to their biological female counterparts, citing the impact of regular oestrogen use as negating such advantages.[2][5]
In 2003, Delaney joined the Equal Rights Network (ERN) and subsequently became an active member of the Tasmanian Gay and Lesbian Rights Group (now known as Equality Tasmania).[6][4] She has also served as a board member of Working It Out.[6] Delaney is also a member ofTasmania Police's LGBT reference group.[7][6]
Since 2004, Delaney has called on Tasmanian politicians to change the state's legal recognition of gender, and in 2017 co-founded Transforming Tasmania which advocates for trans right on a state level.[6][8][9] In 2018, she called on theTasmanian government to end mandatory divorce in cases when one spouse legally changed their gender.[8]
In 2019, the Tasmanian government passed legislation that made the inclusion of gender on birth certificates optional, alongside permitting people over the age of 16 the right to change their registered gender without the requirement of first undergoinggender affirmation surgery.[7][10]
On a national level in 2006, Delaney began lobbying theAustralian government to reform gender markers onAustralian passports. In 2011, she worked with theDepartment of Foreign Affairs to review passport regulations, which led to trans people having their chosen gender represented on their travel documents.[11][12] Delaney also advocated for marriage equality, and was a founding member of both the Australian Coalition for Equality andAustralian Marriage Equality.[6][4] Same-sex marriage was ultimately legalised in Australia in 2017.[13]
In 2015, Delaney announced her intention to become Australia's first transgender federal politician as a candidate for theDivision of Franklin within theHouse of Representatives; she was endorsed bythe Greens.[14] Delaney ultimately placed third, with 9,293 votes (13.35% of the total vote), losing out to theLabor incumbentJulie Collins; this represented a 1.17% increase in the Green vote share.[15]
In 2024, she announced her candidacy for the2024 Tasmanian state election as an independent candidate, but registered as a candidate for theLocal Network party.[citation needed]
Delaney co-wrote two episodes for the second season of the children's drama seriesFirst Day. The show, which follows a 12-year-old trans girl navigating her first year of high school, has won anInternational Emmy Award and theRose d'Or.[16][17]
As a journalist, Delaney has written forThe Guardian andThe Mercury.[18][19]
In 2013, Delaney was recognised as a "human book" by the Hobart Human Library. EntitledSex Change Soccer Star Cyber Tranny Granny, it recognised her "courage and resilience" and her role in raising the visibility of trans people in Tasmania.[1]
In 2021, Delaney was inducted into the Tasmanian Honour Roll of Women for services to "human rights; justice and corrections; community advocacy and inclusion; and sport and recreation". She was the first trans woman to be an inductee.[7][4]
Delaney transitioned in 2003. As of 2013, she lives with her partner and daughter in Tasmania.[1]