Journalist, playwright, and author Mary Kenny has had her invitation to speak at University of Limerick revoked.
Kenny, who was a founding member of the Irish Women’s Liberation Movement, was due to deliver a presentation as keynote speaker on the evolution of feminism titled The Media and Feminism over six decades to coincide with International Women’s Day.
Her invitation was rescinded by the University after accusations of transphobia were levelled against her by campus-based transgender activists:
It’s a pity not to have open discourse but the objectors seem highly sensitive to that suggestion. And the committee was put under enormous pressure to cancel me. I’m not offended, but I’d like to have seen Limerick Uni, which has gained a fine reputation. https://t.co/UHswIalk9m
— Mary Kenny (@MaryKenny4) March 1, 2023
Amongst the examples of “transphobia” cited, Kenny had previously commented on Twitter welcoming the closure of the disgraced Tavistock clinic and said that transgenderism should not “distort fair play”.
Very disappointed to see @UL has Mary Kenny listed as one of their speakers for International Women's Day. ESPECIALLY after a vigil was just organised by students there for a young trans girl who was brutally murdered. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/P0Y0G3WPd4
— 🏳️⚧️ Bolshie Bish 🏳️⚧️ (@BolshieBish) February 28, 2023
UPDATE: due to MULTIPLE complaints from UL students – Marry Kenny won't be speaking at UL for IWD. Absolutely NO platform for transphobes. People's existence and rights are NOT up for debate!! 🏳️⚧️🏳️⚧️🏳️⚧️ https://t.co/sSA1mN5LvA
— 🏳️⚧️ Bolshie Bish 🏳️⚧️ (@BolshieBish) February 28, 2023
Kenny was also a critic of former First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon’s “radical” views on transgenderism in the aftermath of the attempt to place male-born rapist Isla Bryson in a woman’s prison. Kenny tweeted her disapproval of the attempts made by Sturgeon to allow people in Scotland to legally change gender without medical guidance quoting an opinion that male rapists identifying as women was lunacy.
She also expressed her disagreement with the practice of putting children on cross sex hormones and sending them for so-called gender reassignment surgeries calling the policy of the Tavistock clinic – which experts recommended to be closed – “scandalous”.
Kenny also described prepubescent children being given “sex altering drugs” as “insane”.
She was accused of “supporting Enoch Burke” after tweeting that “Death and crime deprive children of life, and a teacher is arraigned over a pronoun”.
Commenting on the decision to rescind her invitation, Kenny said that the committee at the university was “put under enormous pressure” to cancel her and that it was “a pity not to have open discourse” but that the “objectors seem highly sensitive to that suggestion”.
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