Mick Hartley

From the Mail:

The boss of Scotland’s biggest book festival has provoked fury after claiming the authors of best selling gender critical books have not been invited to take part because the issue is too divisive.

Edinburgh International Book Festival Chief Executive Jenny Niven told a complainer: 'We do not want to be in a position that we are creating events for spectacle or sport, or raising specific people’s identity as a subject of debate.'

But they'll happily promote the other side – lovely people with sensible views about the importance of gender identity and how trans women are women, unlike the gender critical riff-raff.

The event, part funded by public cash, features 700 authors from 35 different countries across the world but has been criticised for ignoring gender critical voices in the books and speakers it is promoting.

The event’s theme this year is ‘Repair’, suggesting an open forum for receiving conflicting views, potentially leading to some form of consensus.

One woman, who bought almost £300 of tickets, questioned why the EIBF had ignored one of Scotland’s most significant books from last year, The Women Who Wouldn’t Wheesht, but was platforming queer and trans writers and speakers.

In an email response, the CEO said: ‘We appreciate you taking the time to write to us, and acknowledge that you feel that we’ve missed the mark in this situation.

'As you would know as an audience member, we work very hard to ensure that the conversations that happen on our stages are rigorous, informed and fair.

‘As you can see from the range of other challenging topics addressed in the programme, we don’t shy away from difficult conversation.'

Except gender. There's only one side we want to hear from on that particular debate – and it's not yours. Go away.

Former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon – a fierce advocate of gender-ID policy – has been handed a speaking slot at the Festival, which runs until 24 August, to launch her as yet unpublished autobiography, ‘Frankly’.

Her former Chief of Staff Liz Lloyd became a director of the event earlier this year.

Well there's a coincidence.

See Ursula Doyle's thread here.