Joanna Cherry vows to sue Edinburgh Comedy Venue over show cancellation

Cherry has openly criticized the SNP's plans to allow Scots to change their legal gender by signing a declaration. Credit: EPA

An Edinburgh MP who saw her Fringe show canceled due to her gender-critical beliefs has vowed to sue the venue if they don't restore her appearance and apologize to her.

Joanna Cherry on Monday released a legal opinion supporting her claims that she was unlawfully discriminated against by The Stand, which ruled out the event «in conversation», claiming that its employees refused to work for it.< /p>

The SNP politician, who has become a vocal critic of her party's plans to allow Scots to change their legal gender by signing a declaration, issued an ultimatum in the floor on Monday demanding they back down.

If they don't, she said will take “any legal action necessary to protect my right not to be misrepresented or discriminated against.”

Ms. Cherry added: “It's not about the money. My main goal is to have the Stand's actions declared illegal and ensure the continuation of the event.

“I also asked the Stand to apologize to me. If they do not agree with my reasonable demands, I intend to ask the court to decide on this issue.”

The venue stated that it could not ensure the safe conduct of the event due to the refusal of staff to work on it. However, legal advice obtained by Ms. Cherry states that this is not an excuse that would justify canceling the show legally.

UK case law has established that gender-critical beliefs such as gender are immutable and that people cannot change from male to female are protected, meaning it is illegal to discriminate against anyone because of them.

Ms. Cherry released a legal opinion from Aidan O'Neil KC saying that he considered «the only conclusion» was that Ms. Cherry was discriminated against because of her «philosophical beliefs.»< /p>

It was revealed that Tommy Sheppard, also an MP for the SNP, which owns a majority stake in The Stand, helped organize the event.

Ms Cherry agreed to take part in the one-hour show in August, before turning around after a backlash from staff.

The booth was approached for comment. The venue had previously stated that the opinions of the staff would be “respected.”

A spokesperson added: “We will not force our staff to work on this event, and therefore have concluded that the event cannot operate with proper personnel in a safe and legal manner.”