Free speech group ousted from pub over talk against gender ideology in schools

Free Speech Brighton has said it was evicted from the back room of a local pub whilst in the middle of delivering a series of talks.

According to the group, about fifty of its members were ordered out of the Southern Belle after a member of staff allegedly took offence at a presentation against transgender ideology being taught in schools.

Last year, a report by the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) warned that transgender ideology is ‘profoundly endangering’ free speech and democracy in society.

‘Perfectly lawful beliefs’

An attendee at the event reported: “A hushed room listened to a measured and informative 15min speech about safeguarding children against pervasive gender ideology”.

However, she continued, “just as she was taking questions, two security guards told us the manager wanted us to leave immediately because there’d been ‘a complaint’.”

Responding to the incident, The Free Speech Union (FSU) said it is “threatening legal action after one of our sister groups was kicked out of a Brighton pub for arguing that children should not be taught gender ideology as fact in schools”.

FSU Founder and Director Toby Young commented that the pub landlord had no right to evict customers “just because he disapproves of their perfectly lawful beliefs, particularly if those beliefs are protected by the Equality Act”.

Powerplay

In its report ‘Transgender ideology: A new threat to liberal values’, the IEA argues that many trans activists “do not aim to win the debate but rather to prevent debate from occurring” while pursuing the “assertion of raw political power by one political perspective upon the rest”.

The report’s author and IEA’s Head of Cultural Affairs, Marc Glendening, said: “The freedom of individuals to express opinions on trans issues is under serious threat. This is undermining the ability to have sensible and necessary debates on controversial topics”.

“A philosophical line in the sand needs to be drawn in this regard if the drift towards authoritarianism is to be halted.”