Canadian activist Chris Elston, better known as “Billboard Chris,” praised the Trump administration after the U.S. State Department condemned Australia for ordering the takedown of one of his X posts. Elston called the high‑level backing “a bit surreal” as he awaits a tribunal ruling in Melbourne on the notice that targeted his words.
The State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor wrote on X that it is “deeply concerned about efforts by governments to coerce American tech companies into targeting individuals for censorship.”
Elston told The Telegraph that the U.S. backing felt “phenomenal” and “a bit surreal.”
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As an example, the bureau pointed to Australia’s instruction that X remove Elston’s February 2024 post about trans-identified campaigner Teddy Cook, saying such pressure “undermines democracy.”
The posting also cited EU commissioner Thierry Breton for threatening X and Turkish regulators for fining Meta, describing all three incidents as part of a global push to silence dissent.
The bureau warned that forced takedowns “suppress political opponents and degrade public safety” and pledged that American diplomacy will keep defending “fundamental freedoms.”
Elston’s disputed tweet linked to a Daily Mail headline, “Kinky secrets of UN trans expert revealed,” and added: “This woman (yes, she’s female) is part of a panel of 20 ‘experts’ hired by the @WHO to draft their policy on caring for ‘trans people.’ People who belong in psychiatric wards are writing the guidelines for people who belong in psychiatric wards.”
In April 2024, Australia’s eSafety Commissioner issued a removal notice under the Online Safety Act, saying the message was “likely … intended to have an effect of causing serious harm.”
X left the post visible worldwide but blocked it inside Australia.
Both Elston and the platform challenged the order last month before the Administrative Appeals Tribunal.
ADF International and the Australian Human Rights Law Alliance are funding Elston’s case; a decision is expected later this year.
“It’s tremendous to have the State Department support what we all know is true: free speech is a fundamental right, critical to a democratic society,” Elston told the tribunal, according to a statement by ADF International. “If our free speech can’t be protected when we speak out against the greatest child‑abuse scandal in the world right now, when can it be?”
Robert Clarke, advocacy director at ADF International, said the government action “prevent[s] Australian citizens from hearing and evaluating information about gender ideology” and shows the “global nature of the free speech crisis.”
Since returning to office, President Donald Trump has signed executive orders banning puberty blockers for minors and restoring a federal definition of gender based on sex.
Elston, 49, credited the Trump administration for moving faster on “fighting gender ideology” than previous U.S. administrations. He began his campaign in 2020, standing in public places with sandwich boards reading “children cannot consent to puberty blockers.”
He has more than 500,000 followers on X and says he has been assaulted about 40 times, including an attack in Montreal that broke his arm.
While leafleting in Brisbane last year, he was fined more than 800 Australian dollars and threatened with arrest for allegedly obstructing pedestrians.
At the Melbourne hearing last month, Elston testified that the first line of his tweet addressed Cook, while the second criticized “ideological bias” in global health policy.
“It’s damaging to teach children they are born in the wrong body … children are beautiful just as they are,” he said, adding that the World Health Organization’s reach demands evidence‑based debate.
The eSafety Commissioner defended the notice by labeling the post “cyber abuse” capable of provoking severe psychological harm.
Freedom of political communication is an implied right under Australia’s Constitution, yet the Online Safety Act allows regulators to order removals when content is deemed harmful.
Cook, who describes himself as “a queer man of trans experience,” has advocated taxpayer‑funded gender‑affirming surgery. The Daily Mail has referred to social‑media pictures — now private — showing bondage events, public nudity and drug use.
Victoria MP David Limbrick wrote that the regulator is “keeping you safe from opinions the government doesn’t like,” calling the office a threat to open debate.
