A leading pub chain has been dragged into a transphobia row after police were called to a city-centre pub when bar staff complained of feeling “threatened” by the presence of a group of campaigners who oppose extending women’s rights to transgender people.
Marion Millar, 50, a businesswoman who is being prosecuted for allegedly posting transphobic social media posts, was asked to leave the Doctors pub in Edinburgh with a group of fellow activists by a trans bar server who objected to her presence.
Millar told The Times that she complied with the request to vacate the bar, which is owned by the Greene King chain, but Police Scotland said they were called to attend when “a group of people refused to leave the premises”.
Millar said she had gone to the pub, near Edinburgh University, after a show at the Fringe to meet friends and fellow activists. Some organise under the banner ForWomen.Scot and are opposed to reforms to the Gender Recognition Act, which would make it easier for people to switch gender legally. However, this was an informal social gathering.
Some women fear that the reforms would put women at risk if people who are biologically male are allowed to use female changing rooms.
A Twitter user using the pseudonym “mebulous entity” said she was the bar server who ejected the group. ForWomen.Scot confirmed she matched the description of the person who asked them to leave.
She posted a photo presenting her middle finger stating: “Any terfs see this . . . I tried to be civil with you and you failed. You’re the worst customers ever. You [don’t] belong in pubs . . . or society . . . you made my staff and other customers uncomfortable.”
“Terf”, or “trans exclusionary radical feminist”, is a derogatory term for those who oppose gender reforms.
“Mebulous entity” said on Twitter: “The whole bar team knew who they were from the start and asked me if I was comfortable with them . . . things escalated to the point of calling the police . . . they were increasingly making my staff uncomfortable and I decided for their safety and ease of shift to try to diplomatically ease them out by using the two hour per booking rule.”
The bar server said staff found “terf material in the toilets”.
A spokeswoman for ForWomen.Scot said some of those involved were considering legal action and added: “Our understanding is that on Saturday night police were called on a group of women who had booked tables in Doctors having been to a Fringe show . . . at no point was a complaint about behaviour relayed and staff continued to serve them.
“Having seen the Twitter feed of the employee in question, it is quite clear this was an act motivated by recognition of Marion Millar who arrived later.
“What was said to justify the arrival of five police officers to remove about 10 women, many of whom were already saying goodbyes, we cannot say, although we do wonder how Doctors copes with genuinely aggressive or violent customers.”
Millar, an accountant from Airdrie, North Lanarkshire, was due to appear at Glasgow sheriff court last month after allegedly posting homophobic and transphobic content on social media but the hearing was postponed.
A Police Scotland spokeswoman said: “Officers attended, suitable advice was given and the group dispersed. We have no reports of criminality at this time, but enquiries continue”.
A spokeswoman for Doctors said: “Our aim is for our pubs to be friendly and welcoming places for all and we do not tolerate any form of discrimination from our customers or teams.” They added that an internal investigation was under way.
