I'm cancelled for being gender-critical lesbian, says SNP MP

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 owed to look astatine The Stand during the Fringe Festival successful August.

The venue has cancelled the lawsuit aft unit said they were not comfy with her views connected transgender issues.

"I'm being cancelled and no-platformed due to the fact that I'm a lesbian, who holds gender-critical views that somebody's enactment is immutable.

"I've made those views wide implicit a fig of years. I person ne'er said that trans radical should not person adjacent rights."

The amusement was portion of an In Conversation With bid of events with interrogation guests including movie manager Ken Loach, erstwhile labour person Jeremy Corbyn and Greater Manchester politician Andy Burnham.

Ms Cherry said she was readying to speech astir her vocation successful authorities and the independency movement, arsenic good arsenic her feminist views.

She added: "Because a tiny fig of radical don't similar my feminist and lesbian activism, I'm being prevented from talking astir each of those things successful my location metropolis wherever I'm an elected politician.

"I deliberation it says something's gone precise incorrect successful Scotland's civic space.

"Small groups of activists are present dictating who tin talk and what tin beryllium discussed."

The Stand said it did not endorse the views of immoderate subordinate successful the In Conversation With series, which is organised by autarkic shaper Fair Pley.

In a connection The Stand said: "Following extended discussions with our unit it has go wide that a fig of cardinal operational staff, including venue absorption and container bureau personnel, are unwilling to enactment connected this event.

"We volition guarantee that their views are respected. We volition not compel our unit to enactment connected this lawsuit and truthful person concluded that the lawsuit is incapable to proceed connected a decently staffed, harmless and legally compliant basis."

It said Ms Cherry's invitation to enactment was owed to her "wide-ranging governmental and nationalist role".

Ms Cherry, who resigned from the SNP's nationalist enforcement committee successful June 2021, said: "I was 1 of a fig of members elected connected a manifesto to present amended transparency and scrutiny implicit the party's finances and governance.

"I'm bittersweet to accidental we failed to bash that, and it wasn't for the privation of trying.

"I conscionable regret it's travel to this. I would similar those who stood successful the mode of betterment backmost successful 2020-21 to bespeak connected what they've done."

Ms Cherry besides said the enactment had not done "the indispensable groundwork" connected economical issues nether erstwhile archetypal curate Nicola Sturgeon to triumph implicit opponents of Scottish independence.

She added: "I've ever argued that the mode to triumph a referendum was to transportation radical who voted nary successful 2014 of the merits of our case.

"The SNP needs to sermon some however we person radical to the origin of independency and besides however we really triumph our independence.

"We request to enactment the sovereignty of the Scottish radical backmost to the beforehand and centre of our debate."