SNP MP Joanna Cherry says she has been 'cancelled' over gender views

SNP MP Joanna Cherry has told BBC Scotland she has been cancelled by an Edinburgh venue for "being a lesbian with gender-critical views".

She was due to appear at The Stand during the Fringe Festival in August.

The venue has cancelled the event after staff said they were not comfortable with her views on transgender issues.

The Edinburgh South MP is a critic of Scotland's Gender Recognition Reform plans, which make it easier for people to change their legally-recognised sex.

Ms Cherry told BBC Radio Scotland's Drivetime programme: "I would hope The Stand would see sense here. Staff shouldn't be framing editorial and artistic policy.

"I'm being cancelled and no-platformed because I'm a lesbian, who holds gender-critical views that somebody's sex is immutable.

"I've made those views clear over a number of years. I have never said that trans people should not have equal rights."

The show was part of an In Conversation With series of events with interview guests including film director Ken Loach, former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham.

Ms Cherry said she was planning to talk about her career in politics and the independence movement, as well as her feminist views.

She added: "Because a small number of people don't like my feminist and lesbian activism, I'm being prevented from talking about all of those things in my home city where I'm an elected politician.

"I think it says something's gone very wrong in Scotland's civic space.

"Small groups of activists are now dictating who can speak and what can be discussed."

Speaking to BBC Radio Scotland on Tuesday, Ms Cherry said that "many of my SNP colleagues agree with me, they're just afraid to speak out."

She added: "I've had a lot of private discussions with MPs and MSPs, and many party members, but MPs and MSPs have seen what has happened to me.

"I know for a fact there are others who are just going along with self-ID for a quiet life.

"One day, I hope to be in a position to tell the full story of what has gone on behind the scenes in my political party since I stood up for the rights of lesbians to be same-sex attracted and women's rights to safety, dignity and privacy."

Asked if she would take legal action if the Stand did not reverse its decision, the MP - who is also a practicing KC - said she was keeping her options open, but hoped the venue would "see sense".

In a statement on Monday, the club said: "Further to our previous policy statement on this matter, following extensive discussions with our staff it has become clear that a number of the Stand's key operational staff, including venue management and box office personnel, are unwilling to work on this event.

"As we have previously stated, we will ensure that their views are respected.

"We will not compel our staff to work on this event and so have concluded that the event is unable to proceed on a properly staffed, safe and legally compliant basis.

"We advised the show producers, Fair Pley Productions, of this operational issue and they advised Joanna Cherry that it is no longer possible to host the event in our venue."

The Stand - which was co-founded by SNP MP Tommy Sheppard - said it did not endorse the views of any participant in the In Conversation With series, which is organised by independent producer Fair Pley.

In a statement The Stand said: "Following extensive discussions with our staff it has become clear that a number of key operational staff, including venue management and box office personnel, are unwilling to work on this event.

"We will ensure that their views are respected. We will not compel our staff to work on this event and so have concluded that the event is unable to proceed on a properly staffed, safe and legally compliant basis."

Scottish Conservative MSP Rachael Hamilton said the Stand had received "substantial amounts of public money during Covid" and many people would be "dismayed" by the stance it had taken.

She added: "Whatever views people have on this sensitive issue, it cannot be acceptable to shut down free speech."

Last week, a screening of the Adult Human Female documentary was cancelled for a second time by the University of Edinburgh on safety grounds after protests by trans rights protestors.

The film is billed as an "explainer about the issues, how far things have already changed for the worse for women and how difficult it has been to be heard, to be listened to", with its producers saying that accusations that it is transphobic are "designed to shut down debate".

Some university staff and student groups said the documentary contained content that was "a clear attack on trans people's identities".

First Minister Humza Yousaf has called on the university to defend freedom of speech and to allow robust debate and discussion.

He added: "I see that as no conflict with the other stance that I'm very proud of, which is supporting trans rights. That is something that I am unequivocal about.

"But we should ensure that our universities - and society more generally - are a place where we can have that robust exchange of ideas."

Mr Yousaf has launched a legal challenge to the UK government's block on controversial gender self-identification reforms that were passed by the Scottish Parliament in December.

Ms Cherry was among the senior SNP politicians who opposed the legislation, which aims to make it easier for people to change their legal sex and lowers the age at which they can do so from 18 to 16.

Meanwhile, Ms Cherry also told BBC Scotland she hoped the SNP would get its "finances and governance in order" amid a police investigation and the resignation of the party's auditors.

Ms Cherry, who resigned from the SNP's national executive committee in June 2021, said: "I was one of a number of members elected on a manifesto to deliver better transparency and scrutiny over the party's finances and governance.

"I'm sad to say we failed to do that, and it wasn't for the want of trying.

"I just regret it's come to this. I would like those who stood in the way of reform back in 2020-21 to reflect on what they've done."

Ms Cherry also said the party had not done "the necessary groundwork" on economic issues under former first minister Nicola Sturgeon to win over opponents of Scottish independence.

She added: "I've always argued that the way to win a referendum was to persuade people who voted no in 2014 of the merits of our case.

"The SNP needs to discuss both how we convince people to the cause of independence and also how we actually win our independence.

"We need to put the sovereignty of the Scottish people back to the front and centre of our debate."