Edinburgh arts venue axes Graham Linehan event after complaints

An arts venue in Edinburgh has cancelled an event featuring the gender-critical scriptwriter Graham Linehan after complaints from customers.

Leith Arches, which often hosts queer and drag events, wrote on Instagram that it had cancelled a comedy listing where Linehan was due to appear on Thursday evening.

In a post on Tuesday, the venue said: “We are an inclusive venue and this does not align with our overall values.”

Leith Arches said it had not been aware of the billing until being informed by customers.

The decision rekindled the dispute over the legality of venues banning gender-critical events, which erupted after another Edinburgh venue, the Stand, cancelled a speaking event for Joanna Cherry, a Scottish National party MP.

The Stand reinstated Cherry’s event, which went ahead last week, after she produced legal opinion warning the venue that it was unlawfully discriminating against her on the grounds of her gender-critical beliefs. Courts in England have upheld similar cases involving such views.

Linehan, who devised and wrote the hit Channel 4 comedy Father Ted, has taken a strongly gender-critical stance on social media. In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Linehan said neither he nor Comedy Unleashed, the production company that had booked the venue for the event, had received an explanation for the cancellation.

“There is no explanation as to what views the Leith Arches find offensive,” he said. “[Could] I have some details? Because it sure sounds like discrimination on the grounds of my legally protected beliefs.”

Linehan and Comedy Unleashed posted another statement that appeared to be from the Leith Arches Instagram feed but is no longer online, in which the venue reportedly said it had been emailed about “a comedian who had been booked for an upcoming comedy show this Thursday … from, rightly so, outraged members of our community.”

Cherry reposted her legal advice under Linehan’s post and said: “This looks like a pretty clear case of unlawful discrimination because of a belief.

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“But really, those in positions of political and cultural leadership need to take a stand against this sort of thing, otherwise Edinburgh, the home of the Enlightenment, is in danger of becoming a discrimination and anti-free speech hotspot.”

Online reports had billed the comedy night as a fringe event but it is not included in the official lineup. Leith Arches has been approached for comment.