Catherine McGregor is a prominent Australian writer, commentator and former Australian Defence Force officer.
21 Facts About Cate McGregor
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Cate McGregor has worked as an Australian Army Officer, as a cricket commentator and writer, and as a speechwriter to former New South Wales Labor Premier Bob Carr, former Federal Labor Party leader Kim Beazley and to the 1993 Liberal Party election campaign.
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Cate McGregor completed gender reassignment surgery in her early 60s and takes oestrogen.
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Cate McGregor has stated she is not attracted to men.
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Cate McGregor joined the Australian Army as an Officer Cadet at the Royal Military College Duntroon on 14 January 1974, where she spent the next four years, before graduating with a Bachelor of Arts at the end of 1977.
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Cate McGregor wrote the script for the famous 12 June 2013 call-out message on YouTube in which Morrison told Army personnel that if they weren't willing to respect, and work with, women in the Army they should "get out".
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When Cate McGregor advised David Morrison of her intent to transition and offered her resignation, Morrison "refused to accept her resignation".
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Cate McGregor went public with her transition in November 2013 and as a result became the highest ranking transgender person in the Australian Defence Force at that time.
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Cate McGregor subsequently decided to leave the Army, transferring to the Royal Australian Air Force Reserve on 20 June 2014 as a Group Captain, to work on projects for the Chief of Air Force.
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From 2011 Cate McGregor has been a cricket writer for The Spectator, a cricket commentator for The Australian, and the Australian Financial Review, and the author of a book, An Indian Summer of Cricket, published on 24 November 2012.
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In late 2016, Cate McGregor resumed her cricket career playing for a Canberra women's cricket team, and stated she wished to play in the Women's Big Bash League.
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In December 2018, Cate McGregor was dumped as an ABC cricket commentator, something which she described as having "unravelled" her life.
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In 2015, Cate McGregor was named as Queenslander of the Year, despite not living in Queensland, and as such became a finalist for 2016 Australian of the Year, which was awarded to her previous commanding officer, David Morrison.
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Cate McGregor described the selection of Morrison as a "weak, conventional choice", a comment for which she subsequently apologised.
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In December 2016 Cate McGregor was removed from the Australian of the Year honour roll at her request.
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Cate McGregor has stated that the awards are a "farce" and that she regrets having accepted one.
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Cate McGregor has argued that the awards are being used by activists.
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Cate McGregor was a regular commentator on Sky News and in The Australian.
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Cate McGregor was for a time, patron of Kaleidoscope Australia, a not-for-profit organisation focused on promoting and protecting the rights of LGBTI people in the Asia Pacific region.
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In September 2016 Cate McGregor was dropped as patron by Kaleidoscope Australia because of her criticism of the Safe Schools program.
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In May 2018, Cate McGregor declared she had been wrong to oppose the Safe Schools program.