THE Stand comedy club has U-turned on a decision to cancel SNP MP Joanna Cherry's Fringe show and reinstated the event.
The Edinburgh venue had cancelled the show after staff said they were uncomfortable with her views on transgender issues.
The Stand has now said in a statement that the decision was "unfair and constituted unlawful discrimination against Ms Cherry".
Cherry had threatened to take "whatever legal action is necessary" to get the event reinstated.
Cherry has accepted the apology saying it was a "very welcome move" and hoped it would discourage "others from similar discrimination in the future".
I am pleased that @StandComedyClub have apologised to me today. This is a very welcome move by the Stand and I look forward to taking part in the show. pic.twitter.com/YoGsSfxeVO
— Joanna Cherry KC (@joannaccherry) May 12, 2023
In a statement published on Twitter, The Stand said it had taken secondary legal advice after Cherry had warned she would take action.
"Having considered that new advice, we now accept that the previous decision that the event could not go ahead was unfair and constituted unlawful discrimination against Ms Cherry.
"We now publicly and unreservedly apologise to Ms Cherry.
"We have sent a detailed response to Ms Cherry and her legal team and have spoken to the event's promoters to confirm that we will be able to host the event as originally planned."
The Stand added that it would donate profits from the event to the Edinburgh Food Project, one of the venue's partner charities.
"The management of the event will be discussed with staff in the coming weeks," the statement continued.
"We have always been clear that we oppose all forms of discrimination and recognise the rights of individuals to air views with which we may disagree.
"We hope this apology draws a line under this episode and allows The Stand to get back to doing what it does best."
We previously told how The Stand released a statement on May 1 announcing the cancellation of a live conversation event with Cherry.
The event was scheduled for August 10 as part of a series of discussions with various high-profile Scots for the Fringe including Anas Sarwar and Bobby Bluebell.
A statement issued on behalf of The Stand. Our solicitor's correspondence with Joanna Cherry's legal team can be found here: https://t.co/CMjCkOoUaa pic.twitter.com/F4TOc0CIuW
— The Stand (@StandComedyClub) May 12, 2023
The Stand then said that key operational staff, including venue management and box office personnel, were unwilling to work but had not specified why.
Its statement said staff would not be forced to work and so the event was been pulled.
However, last week, Cherry threatened action after seeking legal advice.
The MP's lawyers said it was "evident" that the cancellation connected to her views on trans rights.
A letter told the venue that the MP would take the issue to court unless they released a statement acknowledging they "acted unlawfully by discriminating" against Cherry, an apology, with terms agreed in advance, and a restoration of the event.
