Portobello Library: Parents told to pay £600 for security after Edinburgh gender talk plans spark protest

Group told to pay for security guards amid fears about public safety at Portobello event as the council is facing calls to cancel.

A group of parents have been told they must pay £600 for security if they want to hold a debate on gender identity in schools.

The group, Concerned Adults Talking Openly About Gender Identity Ideology, plans to hold a meeting at Portobello Library in Edinburgh on Tuesday, March 14, to discuss what is taught in schools under guidance issued on how best to support transgender young people. The parents said they aim to “break the silence” around how children are being taught about gender in schools, but plans have sparked backlash from trans activists and LGBT+ groups who are set to stage a protest.

Edinburgh council has told the group they need to raise money to pay for security guards if the event is to go ahead and in response, the parents group launched a GoFundMe page, which topped more than £900 within 12 hours. The council is facing calls to cancel after Unite the union said it should be scrapped to protect library staff and members of the trans community.

The event is being held at Portobello Library in Rosefield Avenue (Google Streetview)

A statement on the parent’s group page said: “The meeting is about what is being taught to children about gender identity in our schools. We are a small group of local people who only want to ensure that there is open discussion without intimidation and threat. But we have been faced with a determined campaign to stop discussion and ban the meeting.

"In the face of threats of disruption by vociferous activists, the council has demanded that we should pay £600 for them to hire security. While we don't agree that we should pay for other groups' threats to public order we can't let this kind of intimidation and threat triumph.”

A spokeswoman for the parents group accused the council of “unreasonably” trying to hold the group responsible for the maintenance of public order in the face of threats of disturbance if the meeting goes ahead. Maggie Melon, a social worker who is due to speak at the event, defended their right to discuss “the cult of gender identity which has been introduced to schools despite increasing evidence of the harms to children”.

It comes after a meeting planned earlier by the group was abandoned in response to complaints that it had generated “a significant level of negative attention”. Trans activists and equality groups took to social media to encourage a protest against the meeting, which they said was “spreading hate”.

Alys Mumford, Green councillor for Portobello, was among those to express her concern about the event which she said would fuel hatred towards young trans people. She said: “I’ve been contacted by people across Portobello and the wider city about this event. Parents who don’t want their children exposed to bigotry and instead to grow up in a world of tolerance and inclusion,” she said, adding: "I don’t believe council venues should be hosting meetings which cause widespread fear and alarm, and which will - rightly - cause people to question our stated commitment to equality.”

The protest is due to be held outside Portobello Library from 5.30pm on Tuesday. Supporters of the rally said: “Events like this are whipping up a moral panic about trans children by spreading misinformation and fear. Over the past few months known gender critics have been targeting schools, families and local businesses with inflammatory leaflets, spreading misinformation about trans children.

“Though couched in language of concern and free speech, this event is borne of bigotry and intended to fuel and foster anti-trans sentiment. Scratch the surface and it is abundantly clear that the central agenda of organisers is to undermine progress on LGBTQ+ inclusivity in schools, and trans equality and solidarity more widely.”

Council leader Cammy Day said: “When considering whether any proposed event should go ahead, we’re clear that everyone has the right to freedom of expression – but, equally, that this must be done within the law and in line with relevant public safety requirements. This applies to meeting attendees, council staff, potential protestors, library users, and the wider community.

“For the purpose of this event, our public safety team have set out our requirements for it to go ahead safely and the organisers have confirmed they will follow these requirements.”