Event with feminist speaker banned from Twitter moved by Auckland Council amid safety fears

Thursday, 10 October 2019

Meghan Murphy is a Canadian feminist writer who believes transgender rights undermine women's rights.

A speech by a Canadian feminist who believes transgender rights undermine women's rights has been moved over safety concerns from Auckland Council.

Meghan Murphy is a controversial feminist author who was due to speak at Auckland's Studio One Toi Tū in December, as part of Speak Up For Women's 'Feminism 2020' programme.

A petition is also calling on Massey University to cancel Feminism 2020 events on its campus.

Murphy was banned from Twitter last year after challenging views supporting transgender people, and posting tweets saying 'men aren't women'.

Last week, Council moved the talk from Studio One Toi Tū to the Western Springs Garden Community Hall after it received complaints.

Auckland Council chief executive Stephen Town said in a statement it was 'made aware that there may be protests at the event, and we wanted a safer and more appropriate place, should this happen'.

* Banned from Twitter but welcome at Massey: radical feminist group to host event

* Free speech battle brews between feminist and trans-activist groups**

'We know that the speaker is seen by many as having views that are harmful to transgender communities,' Town said.

Council also received complaints and concerns from 'our rainbow communities'.

'In this respect we want to put on record that we do not support or endorse the views of the speakers at the event. We do, however, recognise that Aucklanders hold a wide range of views on issues and that the right to free speech is protected by the Bill of Rights.'

Beth Johnson from Speak Up for Women said 'factions' within the rainbow community were opposed to the event, rather than the community as a whole.

'Essentially [Murphy] believes humans can't change biological sex and that the extreme push for trans rights is undermining women's rights,' Johnson said.

'I don't think women meeting to discuss feminism is a danger to anybody,' Johnson said. 'It's not helpful to anybody to consider ideas as violence. We support transgender people to live their lives free from violence and discrimination.'

LGBTIQ organisation Rainbow Youth said in a statement it 'fundamentally disagrees with the kaupapa of Speak up for Women and groups they associate with'.

'We believe that women's rights and trans rights can and do coexist and intertwine,' the group said.

Controversial speakers like Murphy have led to a petition calling on Massey University to cancel Feminism 2020 events on its campus.

Speak Up For Women formed in 2018 in opposition to the government's proposal to allow people to self-identify their sex in the Births, Deaths, Marriages and Relationships Registration Bill.

The bill, which has since been deferred, was set to amend the process of changing gender on birth certificates from a Family Court process to a self-declaration model, bringing birth certificates into line with drivers' licenses and passports.

It also would have have introduced the option of an 'X' gender marker as well as 'M' and 'F' on a child's birth certificate.