The screening of a controversial film asserting that women are defined solely by their biological sex has been cancelled by Edinburgh University after trans rights activists occupied entrances to the venue.
The screening of the documentary Adult Human Female was organised with the university’s support after a previous event in December was prevented from taking place when protesters confronted audience members and occupied a screening room minutes before it was due to be shown.
Critics of the film accuse it of being transphobic by denying that trans women have equality with biological women, and claim it puts forward unevidenced arguments. Its supporters argue that it sets out the legal and biological basis for sex, and the necessity for protecting sex-based rights.
The rearranged screening had been due to take place at the university’s Gordon Aikman lecture theatre at 6pm on Wednesday, evening but several hours earlier, its doorways were blocked by masked protesters.
University security staff refused to intervene because of the risk of physical confrontations with the protesters – who described themselves as an ad hoc group of direct-action activists – and opted instead to cancel the screening.
There was one minor scuffle outside the theatre after two audience members tried to push through to the entrance, but were held back by security staff.
In a brief statement, the university said it was “fully committed to upholding freedom of expression and academic freedom, and facilitating an environment where students and staff can discuss and debate challenging topics. We are disappointed that again this event has not been able to go ahead.
“In line with our commitment to fostering an inclusive, supportive and safe environment for our whole community, we worked with the organisers and put measures in place to mitigate risks associated with the event.
“However, with protesters restricting access to the venue, safety concerns were raised should the event proceed. It was therefore decided that the screening should not continue.”
A spokesperson for Edinburgh Academics for Academic Freedom said the university now had to convene a meeting between both sides to “take the temperature down”, and facilitate a screening of the film.
“We’ve asked many, many times to have a decent conversation about how we can go forward together,” she said. “My view is, we have a conflict of rights: what do you do when you have a conflict of rights? You have a reasonable discussion about how that is resolved. We should be having sensible, adult dialogue.”
She said gender-critical events were being systematically suppressed on the campus. The screening, however, had been opposed by Edinburgh’s University Staff Pride Network, which includes the University and Colleges Union and Unite.
Directly opposite the theatre entrance, around 100 trans-rights activists, academics and students, standing behind a crowd barrier, took part in a sing-along organised by the trans rights group Cabaret Against the Hate Speech.
A Cabaret Against the Hate Speech spokesperson said they did not want the screening cancelled, but were implacably opposed to its positions. “Our goal was always to challenge it and make sure it was never going to be allowed to go unchallenged in society, because hate crime, transphobia and bigotry should never go unchallenged,” they said.
