Edinburgh groups condemn Posie Parker Rally
This Saturday in Edinburgh, Kelly Jay Keen-Mishull, aka Posie Parker, is holding a rally as part of her “Let Women Speak” campaign. Resisting Transphobia in Edinburgh are coordinating a counter-protest against her dangerously transphobic and far right views, along with Cabaret Against Hate and other activist organisations in the city.
From representatives of the counter protest:
“We all know Let Women Speak is a shallow cover for a group of anti-feminist fascists, and this rally is nothing but an excuse to harass and threaten LGBTQIA+ people in Edinburgh. We’re coming together to protect our communities and our city from open and violent bigots.”. All Feminists Against Fascism (AFAF).
“We affirm our commitment not just to trans inclusivity, but trans positivity. Solidarity extends beyond visibility – it demands action. Strut Safe is and will always remain a service for all.”. Strut Safe.
“Cabaret Against The Hate Speech stands in solidarity with the trans community across the globe, who are facing unprecedented levels of violence, hatred, and harassment. We stand against the extreme transphobia perpetrated by the UK government and right wing media who wish to paint the trans community as a threat to women’s rights. Today we are here to counter protest “Posie Parker” and everyone that supports her and her extreme anti-trans, right wing ideology. Transphobia hurts everyone and that includes cis women. None of us free until all of us are free. LGB with the T, now and forever!”. Cabaret Against The Hate Speech.
“We will not tolerate Posie Parker spreading small-minded bigotry and far right ideology in our city. The folk coming out to join us today demonstrate her views are repugnant to the majority of Scottish people. Today is a testament to the strength of our community, as trans folk and allies come together to reject hate speech and push back against Posie Parker’s dangerous right-wing movement.” Resisting Transphobia in Edinburgh.
Reasons for protest
Keen-Mishull exposes the ‘Gender Critical’ movement for what it really is: a form of far-right hate speech. She represents an ideology that is a danger to anyone existing outside of its narrow patriarchal ideals and that is a magnet for larger, more dangerous ideas. The images painted by her rallies have no place in Edinburgh. It is imperative to make this message loud and clear.
The past year has seen the tragic deaths of young transgender individuals in headlines, and hate speech which endangers the health and safety of the trans community should not be tolerated. With Scotland’s new hate crime laws in force as of the 1st of April, our hope is to highlight this hatred for what it is and deplatform the spreading of transphobic and adjacent far-right rhetoric.
Who is RTiE
RTiE is an umbrella group containing people from many organisations and none. We collaborate with progressive organisations, championing trans liberation and joy and a safer future for trans youth. We are a growing collective, and recently celebrated our first birthday on Trans Visibility Day 2024.
Our projects have included educating on transphobic talking points through zines and online resources, participation in Pride events, organising and attending protests including a bloc as part of the national Palestine protest, and ongoing outreach efforts.
We aim to raise awareness and foster unity within the trans community and beyond. All political affiliations are welcome, and we emphasise intersectionality and intergenerational collaboration.
Email contact: ResistingTransphobiaEdinburgh@proton.me
Background
Who is Kellie Jay Keen-Minshull / Posie Parker?
Kellie Jay Keen-Minshull, also known by her Twitter alias ‘Posie Parker’, is a long-standing anti-trans activist and fascist. She rose to notoriety in 2018 after being questioned by the police in relation to Twitter harassment of Susie Green (CEO of Mermaids) and her daughter, where she misgendered Green’s daughter and made reference to “castration”.
Pose Parker perpetuates transphobic sentiment via her YouTube channel and various podcast appearances. She seeks to build a following by selling fear to the fearful, focusing on the ‘moral panic’ over trans rights, then presenting herself as a saviour. Notably, she has also stated that she is “not a feminist”, and now has a stance so steeped in racism, white nationalism and the far right that even the Gender Critical movement has criticised her.
She and her associates were also behind the infamous ‘woman: adult human female’ slogan, which she plastered on billboards, stickers and other merchandise. Companies supplying her have since attempted to distance themselves from her hate speech. HOPE not hate singled out Parker in their 2023 ‘State of Hate’ report for her role in the alignment of transphobic forces with those of the traditional fascistic right.
Who are Let Women Speak? / Previous rallies
With a website touting events, forums and a store, ‘Let Women Speak’ boasts that its events are the only events hosted by Posie Parker / Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull.
The last time ‘Let Women Speak’ gathered in Scotland, at George Square in Glasgow in February 2023, signs in the crowd included slogans such as ‘Defy the gaystapo’ and ‘A man can’t become a woman. Simple’. The last of these belonged to the anti-feminist, anti-choice Scottish Family Party.
A month later, a group of men supporting Keen-Minshull at a LWS rally in Melbourne, Australia, performed the Nazi salute several times.
This Australian tour was partly funded by the right-wing Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), whose recent conferences have included quasi-genocidal calls to ‘eliminate transgenderism’.
Quotes From Kelly Jay Keen-Mishull
Direct quotations from her Adult Human Female show, transcript from Contrapoints video essay):
“I’m not a feminist! I’m not a feminist!”
“Why are we enabling children to take sometimes contraceptives that are quite harmful or access to abortion? I think that we really need to rethink of all of this. I think parents need to take back control of their children.”
“We may call it transgender ideology, but when it comes to a person, they may be following transgender ideology, but they are not transgender. There’s no such thing as a man or a woman being anything other than a man or a woman.”
“We know that if a man has a paraphilia of dressing as a woman, the most likely cross paraphilia is paedophilia. We know that these men have multiple paraphilias. They don’t ever stop at one.”
“I call on men who consider themselves decent human beings to call out the deviants among them and eradicate these monsters from society. (crowd cheering)”
“Each and every one of you women who stand in my way, each and every one of you, let me just tell you, you will be annihilated.”
Other references
https://transsafety.network/posts/glasgow-far-right-standing-for-women
Resisting Transphobia in Edinburgh 