Council faces judicial review from speaker over decision to cancel library event over her views on transgender rights

A journalist has raised more than £38,000 towards a judicial review of Nottingham City Council's last-minute decision to stop a talk she was set to give at a library over her views on transgender rights.

The city council said it cancelled columnist and author Julie Bindel's booking to use a space at the library as her views are "at odds with aspects of the council's Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy".

However, Bindel claims the decision breached parts of the Equality Act 2010 and the Human Rights Act 1998 and said she is taking action to prevent Nottingham City Council and other local authorities and public bodies "from banning feminists who oppose gender ideology from public buildings".

Her talk was due to take place last month (25 June) at Apsley Library, a small local library which is under threat of closure. Bindel said she chose to do the talk on feminist campaigning against male violence to help draw a crowd to the library.

But hours before it was due to take place, she received a call from the organiser informing her of the council's decision to cancel her appearance.

"Without speaking to me, or bothering to discover what I actually believe, the council decided to deny me the right to speak on their premises," Bindel said.

Bindel said she was prevented from entering the building and later gave her talk in the library's car park.

In a statement posted on the same day, the council said its decision was "due to the speaker's views on transgender rights being at odds with aspects of the council's Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy".

The council's deputy leader, Cllr Adele Williams and Portfolio Holder for Neighbourhoods, Safety & Inclusion, Cllr Neghat Khan, said the event was a private booking by the 'Nottingham Women for Change' group, and all ticket sales and marketing of the event had been undertaken independently with no input from the council.

"While it was known that the event was going to be from a feminist perspective, no information around the speaker's views on transgender rights was brought to the Library Service's attention," the councillors said.

"Once we became aware of this, we took the decision to cancel the booking."

The councillors added that the local authority supports the city's LGBT community and has "committed to supporting trans rights as human rights through Stonewall". 

"We did not want the use of one of our library buildings for this event, taking place during Pride month, to be seen as implicit support for views held by the speaker which fly in the face of our position on transgender rights."

Bindel has since launched a crowdfunding campaign and raised over £38,000, exceeding her goal of £35,000 with 25 days to go before the fundraiser expires.

In a statement uploaded to the fundraising page, she said: "Nottingham City Council decided to ban me, not because of the subject I was going to be speaking about, but merely because I hold feminist views which are in opposition to gender ideology.

"I consider it to be deeply offensive and problematic for public bodies to decide that I am too controversial and even dangerous for women to listen to when I am talking about campaigning to end rape and domestic abuse."

Bindel is represented by Elizabeth McGlone of didlaw, Karon Monaghan QC of Matrix Chambers, Akua Reindorf of Cloisters and Beth Grossman of Doughty Street Chambers.

Adam Carey