Kate Forbes may be banned from arts venue because of her views on trans issues
Summerhall Arts issued an apology to other performers for the 'oversight' of allowing the Deputy First Minister, who has spoken up against gender reforms and backs single-sex spaces for biological women, being interviewed onstage last week.
Several of the performances at the venue during this year's Fringe run feature gay or transgender themes, and some of the artists set up a 'safe room' because they were said to have been 'terrified' while 5ft 2in Ms Forbes was in the building.
Now bosses at the venue have indicated that they will develop 'robust, proactive inclusion and wellbeing policies that would prevent this oversight in our bookings process happening again'.
Women's rights campaigners claimed that banning critics of self-ID would be against the law.
It comes after the Stand comedy club was forced to reinstate a show featuring Joanna Cherry at the Fringe two years ago after she threatened legal action for discrimination when the venue initially planned to cancel the event because of her views on trans issues.
Marion Calder, a director at For Women Scotland, said any refusal to allow Ms Forbes and others who share her views to appear at the venue would be 'against the law' for the same reasons as in the battle between Ms Cherry and the Stand two years ago.
She said: 'They clearly haven't taken legal opinion on this. Why on earth would members of staff and other performers be scared of a young woman having 'dangerous' thoughts?
'Summerhall is renowned as being one of the largest Fringe venues: what is this saying about the Edinburgh Fringe if free speech doesn't exist and this appearance is intolerable? And who are these arbiters who think some people are not allowed to have thoughts?'
She also highlighted that Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar, who has indicated that his party would no longer support gender reform legislation, was among the other speakers with no similar backlash.
Ms Calder said: 'Why were they not up in arms about Anas? Why burn the witch? At a time when people are crying out for edgy and different Summerhall is doing the opposite of what it should be doing.
'People are fed up of the same woke shows that are appearing.'
Ms Forbes had appeared at Summerhall on August 7 as part of the Herald's Unspun Live at the Fringe series of political interviews.
Artists were said to have been so 'terrified' that they set up a 'safe room' while she was at the venue, while bosses at the venue issued an apology.
A source at Sumerhall Arts, which was awarded £608,302 of public cash from Scottish Government quango Creative Scotland in January, said: 'This event was booked as a series of longform interviews prior to the guest list being confirmed.
'Summerhall Arts' primary concern is the safety and wellbeing of the artists and performers we work with, and going forward we will be developing robust, proactive inclusion and wellbeing policies that would prevent this oversight in our bookings process happening again.
'Summerhall Arts issued a communication to all artists making them aware of the event.'
Scottish Conservative equalities spokesman Tess White said: 'This is an outrageous and unacceptable statement from a venue that is clearly detached from reality.
'Not only is this a scandalous attempt to curtail free speech, it is seemingly oblivious to the Supreme Court ruling which fully vindicated in law those whom Summerhall wishes to silence.
'As for its concern for 'the safety and wellbeing' of artists, this clearly doesn't extend to female artists.
'While Kate Forbes has been disgracefully treated, she might reflect that it's the SNP which imposed this toxic gender ideology across Scottish public life, and it's her current party leader who refuses to disown it.'
During the interview, presenter Andrew Learmonth highlighted that there were people in the building 'who didn't want this show to go ahead', complained to management and wanted it to be cancelled because they 'didn't like what they think of your views, particularly around gender, sex and trans issues'.
Ms Forbes said: 'These issues have been well documented and can I just say how brilliant it is for us to have freedom of speech in this country.'
She said there needs to be spaces where people can have discussion and debate, and added: 'My approach is to respect the fact and to appreciate the fact that a lot of people disagree with me.
'I think it is a reflection on a healthy democracy that people both agree with me and disagree with me.
'I am not anti any human being. I am taught to love my neighbour as myself, which is to give them greater respect, greater honour and greater appreciation than I would expect myself.'
In 2023, The Stand announced it had cancelled Ms Cherry's appearance because staff were not comfortable with her views on transgender issues.
The appearance eventually went ahead after the threat of legal action, with the venue saying it took legal advice and accepted the decision was 'unfair and constituted unlawful discrimination against Ms Cherry'.
Responding to the freedom of speech row, Ms Forbes said: 'As I stated at the event, I fervently believe in freedom of speech. Any effort to 'cancel' people, especially politicians, undermines democracy.
'Many people attended the Herald event and it is important that we could freely discuss and debate matters in a respectful manner.
'I respect and acknowledge the fact that in a liberal democracy there are people who will agree with me and others who will disagree with me.
'That is all the more reason to create events where the audience and journalists can question politicians openly, as the Herald did.'
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