Joanna Cherry threatens legal action against comedy club over cancellation

Joanna Cherry KC MP

Lawyers for Ms Cherry have given The Stand until next week to apologise, reinstate the gig and admit that cancelling the In Conversation With… event with her constituted unlawful discrimination. Should it ignore her request, she will take the club’s management to court.

Ms Cherry said: “In January, I accepted an invitation from The Stand to speak at an event in The Fringe this coming August. To my disappointment, and after initially backing the event, the board of The Stand cancelled the event, citing concerns expressed by staff who were unwilling to work at it. The event has been running for four years and has a wide and diverse range of speakers, including from various political backgrounds.

“I immediately required to defend my reputation. I said last week on BBC Radio Scotland: ‘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.’

“Because a small number of people don’t like my feminist and lesbian activism, I’m being prevented from talking about these things and others 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.”

An expert opinion from Aidan O’Neill KC states that Ms Cherry’s views are protected under the Equality Act.

David McKie, her solicitor at Levy & McRae, said: “Our client did not start this or indeed do anything to instigate your change of position. She was invited by you to speak at an event, agreed and has now been prevented from so doing as a result of an unlawful act on your part.”