Organisers of a festival to celebrate International Women’s Day have rowed back on a decision to ban a group from the event because it upholds the reality of biological sex.
Campaign group Women Won’t Wheesht (WWW) was told it could not take part in Dundee Women’s Festival because it did not share the event’s ‘values’.
After WWW threatened legal action, pointing out that its belief in biological reality was protected in law and “worthy of respect and protection in a democratic society”, the organisers reversed their decision.
Protected by law
WWW, which campaigns for women’s sex-based rights, was initially informed by festival organisers that its application to take part had been rejected “due to your organisation not aligning with our festival values”.
We know that there are only 2 human sexes, that sex is not a choice, nor can it be changed Women Won’t Wheesht
The group responded: “As you will be aware our organisation more than aligns with all of the festive criteria.
“It is our view that our registration has been rejected because of the protected philosophical beliefs concerning ‘gender identity’ which are understood to be held and professed by the members of Women Won’t Wheesht.”
After taking legal advice, Dundee Women’s Festival board dropped the ban, saying: “The beliefs held by the members of WWW legally amount to philosophical beliefs which are protected by law, although they do not accord with our views.”
Silenced
Last month, female members of Scottish Labour accused the party of watering down a motion passed at the Women’s Conference calling on the leadership to “openly recognise women as adult human females”.
The amended text promotes “the principle of women’s sex-based rights”, but makes no reference to the reality of biological sex.
Former Labour MSP Elaine Smith complained: “We now need a rule that whatever comes out of the women’s conference goes forward to full conference unamended, or else it looks like women’s voices are being silenced or watered down.”
International Women’s Day is marked around the world on 8 March.
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