MP Joanna Cherry threatens legal action over cancelled show

SNP MP Joanna Cherry is threatening to instrumentality ineligible enactment against an Edinburgh venue which cancelled a Fringe amusement successful which she was owed to appear.

She says she volition instrumentality "whatever ineligible enactment is necessary" unless The Stand admits that it acted unlawfully, issues an apology and reinstates the event.

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

The Stand has not yet responded to Ms Cherry's comments.

The Edinburgh South West MP had been owed to instrumentality portion successful a bid of In Conversation With... events successful August.

Ms Cherry is simply a professional of Scotland's sex designation betterment plans, which marque it easier for radical to alteration their legally-recognised sex.

Last week she told BBC Scotland she felt she had been "cancelled and no-platformed" due to the fact that she was a lesbian who holds gender-critical views.

She said she had been "greatly heartened" by the enactment she had received since the communicative became public, and had decided to question ineligible advice.

"I americium prepared to instrumentality immoderate ineligible enactment is indispensable to vindicate my close not to beryllium misrepresented and not to beryllium discriminated against," she said.

"This is not astir money. My superior extremity is to person the actions of The Stand acknowledged arsenic unlawful and to guarantee the lawsuit proceeds.

"I person asked The Stand to apologise to maine too. If they don't hold with my tenable requests, I mean to inquire the tribunal to determine connected the issue."

Ms Cherry said the determination to cancel her amusement was symptomatic of a wider occupation successful society.

"I americium precise acrophobic that those who clasp perfectly morganatic views connected a assortment of issues, including women similar me, are regularly being misrepresented, de-platformed and, successful immoderate cases, facing harm to oregon the nonaccomplishment of our livelihoods," she added.

"This is often accompanied by online maltreatment and threats.

"The statement connected sex self-identification is simply a precise important 1 which indispensable beryllium allowed to instrumentality place, but I americium a pistillate of galore parts who was engaged to speech astir my governmental beingness successful wide and I spot the cancelling of my one-hour lawsuit arsenic the bladed extremity of the wedge."

The Stand said it would not beryllium making immoderate further remark until it had discussed the substance with its solicitors.

In a connection released past week, the venue said that a fig of its cardinal operational unit - including venue absorption and container bureau unit - were unwilling to enactment connected the event.

The connection said: "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.

"We advised the amusement producers, Fair Pley Productions, of this operational contented and they advised Joanna Cherry that it is nary longer imaginable to big the lawsuit successful our venue."

The Stand - which was co-founded by SNP MP Tommy Sheppard - said it did not endorse the views of immoderate subordinate successful the In Conversation With... series, which is organised by autarkic shaper Fair Pley.

Franklin Graham's quality astatine the Hydro was scrapped pursuing unit from Glasgow City Council, Scottish Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie and campaigners implicit his views connected issues specified arsenic homosexuality, Islam and Donald Trump.

Venue unit had claimed the determination was owed to information and protestation concerns but a sheriff ruled that Mr Graham had been discriminated against and that the SEC had breached the Equality Act by not letting him perform.

In his ruling, Sheriff John McCormick said: "The pursuer's close to prosecute a talker astatine the evangelical lawsuit - successful furtherance of a spiritual oregon philosophical content - is protected by law".