Journalists talk on trans issues cancelled after threats of boycott - Brighton!

[IwantToRetire]

A talk featuring two journalists talking about trans issues has been cancelled after an LGBTQ+ group threatened the organisers with a boycott.

Helen Lewis, who writes for The Atlantic, and former Newsnight reporter Hannah Barnes, who has written a book about the Tavistock gender clinic, were due to talk at the Grand Central in January.

It was one of a series of talks organised by Brighton Skeptics, part of a UK network of organisations who host talks in pubs about a range of thought-provoking and sometimes controversial topics.

https://www.brightonandhovenews.org/2023/11/23/journalists-talk-on-trans-issues-cancelled-after-threats-of-boycot

This may have already been posted, but couldn't see a thread.

And I suppose it is no surprise, but seriously? Are these venues really that worried about being boycotted by the Rainbow brigade. If all these venues just stood their ground, this call of boycotts would soon fail to have any impact.

Earlier thread:

Didn't realise that it was about this. I just saw that title and as it wasn't specific just thought it was a general comment about how Brighton TRAs seem to be in charge not just of the council but businesses!

The organiser put out a statement saying they had made the decision to cancel, not the venue.

Doesn't make it right, but unlike several recent cases it's not a venue issue.

The organiser put out a statement saying they had made the decision to cancel, not the venue.

I missed that. Do you have a link?

Still think venues should have more back bone, but obviously really bad that women (unlike just about everyone else) women cant just lead their life and be able to be heard in public. Shocking.

I've just seen what seems to be the fall out from this for the organising group - or the individual running the group.

It seems that the LGBTQI+ community privately lobbied other members of the Skeptics groups as well as the venue, and they then put pressure on him.

So then the event was cancelled, and now he has resigned from the Skeptics groups.

So seems the power of the TRAs to contaminate everything they come in touch with has also split the Skeptics - who have no agreed position.

See statements at https://www.brightonskeptics.com/

The Tyranny of the TRA

That first announcement was the statement I saw about it not being the venue's doing.