Joanna Cherry is threatening legal action against an Edinburgh venue after they cancelled an event over her views on trans rights.
The SNP MP is demanding an apology, adding that she's gone for legal advice which states the actions were 'unlawful'. Management at The Stand cancelled her In Conversation show earlier this month with staff stating they didn't want to work an event featuring Cherry, reports the Daily Record.
The MP is one of the leading voices of criticism against the Scottish Government's gender recognition legislation, which would allow trans people to change their gender without medical oversight. The cancellation of her show sparked online debate, with the comedy club accused of 'censorship'.
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In a statement, Cherry said she could now go to court to defend her rights.
"I have received the opinion of the eminent and leading human rights advocate, Aidan O’Neill KC who considers that The Stand have acted unlawfully," she said.
“The actions of the Stand and all that has followed thereon are symptomatic of a wider problem in our society. I am very concerned that those who hold perfectly legitimate views on a variety of issues, including women like me are regularly being misrepresented, de-platformed and, in some cases, facing damage to or the loss of our livelihoods.
“This is often accompanied by online abuse and threats. The debate on gender self-identification is a very important one which must be allowed to take place, but I am a woman of many parts who was engaged to talk about my political life in general and I see the cancelling of my one-hour event as the thin end of the wedge.
She added: "I am prepared to take whatever legal action is necessary to vindicate my right not to be misrepresented and not to be discriminated against. This is not about money. My primary goal is to have the actions of the Stand acknowledged as unlawful and to ensure the event proceeds.
“I have asked The Stand to apologise to me too. If they don’t agree with my reasonable requests, I intend to ask the court to decide on the issue. I hope that my actions in defending myself will give courage to everyone particularly women who wish to express views on legitimate issues of public interest. That, after all, is the very job of a politician and one of the reasons I entered politics in the first place.”
In a letter to the Stand, Cherry's lawyer David McKie wrote: "The clear and unequivocal opinion of senior counsel and by us is that your decision is unlawful and discriminatory. There is no defence available to you which would or could justify the decision as a matter of law."
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Cherry is a critic of the SNP leadership's position on trans rights and independence strategy, but she won cautious support from First Minister Humza Yousaf last week.
Yousaf told the Record: “I hope there is a way of Jo's show going ahead. At the same time, as First Minister it's not for me to tell comedy clubs or their staff, in terms of what events they should be putting on, or not putting on. Ultimately, I hope there's a solution that can be found.
“But you'd be the first one, rightly, to take me to task if the First Minister was demanding a comedy club makes their workers work to put on a show for an SNP MP.
He added: “Jo and I have a disagreement around the GRR Bill, for example, but at the same time, I do hope there's a way that her show can go ahead.”
The Stand was unavailable for comment.
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