Chris Elston, more commonly known as ‘Billboard Chris,’ has secured a major victory for free speech as a court in Australia overturned a government order that tried to censor one of his posts on the social media platform X.
The February 2024 post criticised the World Health Organisation’s appointment of Teddy Cook, a female-to-male trans Australian activist, and referred to Cook as a woman—using the biologically accurate pronouns.
The so-called eSafety Commissioner labeled it “cyber abuse,” ordering X to remove the content.
Elston, alongside X, argued that the removal violated fundamental free speech rights.
The ruling on Tuesday, July 1st, struck down the censorship order. Paul Coleman of ADF International, a legal advocacy group that represented Elston, called it “a decisive win for free speech.”
Coleman also warned against the creeping influence of state-imposed speech limitations across borders.
Elston stated that the ruling reinforces his mission to speak out against gender ideology and to protect children across the world from its dangers.
