The women’s rights group attended the Glasgow University Union (GUU) for a social event which followed a public demonstration held in front of the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum.
After arriving in the GUU, The Herald understands that attendees decorated the room they had booked for dinner with banners which had featured in their demonstration.
Images shared on social media appear to show banners displayed inside the room reading: ‘Women’s rights are not a hate crime’, ‘I’m not a vet, but I know what a dog is’, ‘Better to die on your feet than forever live on your knees’, and ‘We are all Sandie Peggie’ among other slogans.
Sandie Peggie is Scottish nurse at the centre of an ongoing employment tribunal who was recently cleared of gross misconduct following disciplinary proceedings with NHS Fife, after she faced allegations of failing to uphold patient safety as well as misgendering Dr Beth Upton, a transgender doctor.
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A video shared by Kelly-Jay Keen, Organiser of Let Women Speak, on X, formerly known as Twitter, appears to show a member of GUU staff telling the group that they had been “confrontational towards staff” and that as a result they were “going to have to ask them to leave.”
An additional video shared from the same account appears to show Keen, also known as Posie Parker, addressing the Let Women Speak group saying that the GUU had “told us to leave…on the basis of our beliefs.
She went on to say: “Questioning someone’s belief will not hold up in a court of law and (staff) have put this University liable to being sued for discrimination against women”.
While it exists as a student-run members club, the Glasgow University Union is a separate legal entity from the University of Glasgow.
Let Women Speak is a prominent gender-critical organisation founded by Keen. The group hosts events around the world where they invite women to speak freely in a public setting.
Let Women Speak say they are committed to “defending the rights of women”, whom they describe as “adult human females”.
However, some have criticised Let Women Speak for being ”transphobic” for their stance on gender, often describing them as “TERFs”, an acronym which stands for ‘transgender exclusionary, radical feminist’.
An attendee at the event, Kelly Oliver Dougall, told the student newspaper Hillhead Review: “We were meeting at the Glasgow student union after our Let Women Speak event which was held outside Kelvingrove Museum. We put the banners that we had been holding up on the walls.
“Several members of staff came in and said that if we didn’t take our banners down they would not serve us any more drinks. They stated that this was due to the beliefs on the banners and that their staff felt unsafe.
“They went on to ask us to leave. Which we did. We were due to eat there and had already paid for food.”
The social in the Glasgow University Union followed a public event hosted by Let Women Speak.
Ms Keen has also reiterated her intention to take legal action against the GUU, telling Hillhead Review: “(The manager) claimed that (our banners) went against the conduct of the university.
“This is not the first time women have been refused service or kicked out of a venue for our belief that women deserve rights.
“I will be seeking legal advice about the quickest way to get these authoritarians to understand that discriminating against women is unlawful. Frankly, I can’t wait.”
In a public statement livestreamed on X, formerly known as Twitter, the day after the event, Keen reaffirmed her commitment to take legal action against the GUU and went on to say: “We are being ousted from venues, we do Let Women Speak in public because venues cancel.
“I think we need to get back to a place where people can say even the most offensive things.
“The men who say that women can have penises and it’s fine for men to go and use women’s spaces… I fully support their right to speak, their right to have a venue somewhere, as long as they’re not inciting violence or breaking the law. I don’t care what they say, they have a right to say it and we have a right to hear it.”
The Glasgow University Union and Police Scotland have been contacted for comment.