Sarah Hanson-Young can argue Zoo sexually objectified her, judge rules
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Version 0 of 1. The Australian Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young can argue that Zoo Weekly sexually objectified her when it superimposed her head on to the body of a lingerie-clad model, a Sydney judge has ruled. Hanson-Young is suing the magazine for defamation over the photo and article entitled "Zoo's asylum seeker bikini plan", published in July 2012. The publication came a week after her emotional address in the Senate about Australia's humanitarian intake of asylum seekers. The magazine said it would house the next boatload of asylum seekers in the Zoo office if the Greens' immigration spokeswoman would agree to a "tasteful" bikini or lingerie photo shoot. Hanson-Young says the article implied that being a sex object was the only thing she was good for, that she was not a serious politician, that she was a "joke", and that her stance on asylum seekers had exposed her to ridicule. Bauer Media, which owns Zoo, has claimed the article was plainly intended as a joke. It sought to strike out Hanson-Young's imputations, but in the supreme court in Sydney on Monday Justice Lucy McCallum said they should be allowed to remain. "Given, to use a colloquial phrase, the fast-and-loose nature of the publication, I do not think the [magazine] can be heard to say the matter is not capable of conveying an imputation of sexual objectification," McCallum said. The decision comes after McCallum previously rejected several of Hanson-Young's other arguments, including that the article made her look incompetent and immature. The judge noted the article associated with the complaint was "satirical and is calculated to hold the plaintiff up to ridicule, but it is difficult to say precisely what it imputed concerning the senator". The matter will be heard in a civil trial next year. Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning. |