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Dundee Women’s Festival could face legal action over campaign group’s controversial exclusion

Women Won't Wheesht, a grassroots women's rights group, had an application to take part in this year's event rejected.

Disruption on the Tay Road Bridge
The annual Dundee Women's Festival has run in the city for more than 20 years. Image: Kim Cessford/DC Thomson.

A campaign group claims it is considering pursuing legal action against Dundee Women’s Festival after being excluded from the event.

Women Won’t Wheesht, a grassroots women’s rights organisation in Scotland, had an application to take part in this year’s festival rejected.

An email to the group from the organisers, seen by The Courier, says this is due to the organisation “not aligning with our festival values”.

It added: “This was a unanimous decision made by our board and is final.”

‘Unlawfully silenced’

Women Won’t Wheesht were among the groups to campaign against the Scottish Government’s plans to allow people to legally change their gender through self-ID.

Last month, SNP ministers ditched their plan to appeal a court ruling that upheld Westminster’s veto of Holyrood’s gender reforms.

In a social media post, the group, who campaign for women-only spaces, said it was another example of “women’s voices being unlawfully silenced”.

They added: “We asked Dundee Women’s Festival which ‘values’ they believe we hold which do not align with theirs – we’ve received no response.”

Supporters of the For Women Scotland and the Scottish Feminist Network take part in a demonstration outside the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh, ahead of the vote on the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill. Image: PA.

A group spokeswoman told The Courier they are “considering all options at the moment, including legal action”.

She added: “However, as an unfunded grassroots women’s group we’d prefer just to be included in their programme of events.”

What is the Dundee Women’s Festival?

Dundee Women’s Festival has run for over 20 years and is managed by a small group of volunteer trustees.

The annual event celebrates the impact women locally and worldwide, while also considering the problems still facing women today.

Registration is now closed for this year’s event, which will run between March 2 and March 17.

The festival team has previously said that “it is entirely at our discretion whether your event is included in the festival programme, however it is rare for us to reject an event”.

They added: “Please check that your event aligns with our festival criteria, your event should be one or more of the following:- women centric; promoting or highlighting issues affecting women; a women-only activity or delivered by a women only organisation; promoting women achievers.”

Last year, the Stand Comedy Club in Edinburgh reversed a decision to cancel a fringe event with SNP MP Joanna Cherry, after stating some of its staff were not comfortable with her views on self-ID.

The venue apologised, after Ms Cherry threatened legal action, and the event went ahead as planned.

Dundee Women’s Festival were approached for comment.

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