An Auckland councillor has warned that a Free Speech Union event this week at a council venue attempts to create “controversy and division”, citing concerns about transgender rights.
The Free Speech Union has booked a room at the Ellen Melville Centre on Wednesday evening for a discussion between Auckland University of Technology chancellor Rob Campbell and Free Speech Union board member Ani O’Brien.
Albert-Eden-Puketāpapa ward councillor Julie Fairey got wind of the event and emailed council staff on Friday to query whether the booking was appropriate for a council venue.
Fairey described O’Brien as “known to be opposed to transgender rights” and said the booking was likely to be inconsistent with the venue’s status as a long-standing Proud Centre.
This, of course, is a bald-faced lie. Ani is against men invading women’s spaces. And it doesn’t make a difference if they’re dressed in frocks or gotten the chop. Being able to invade women’s spaces is not a transgender “right”.
[…] Fairey said she imagined the Free Speech Union booking “will be a conscious attempt on their behalf to create similar controversy and division, which is a really disappointing use of our community venues which [are] provided for booking to create community connection and not drive people apart”.
Note that Fairey “imagines” the Free Speech Union wants to cause shit, without any real evidence. And this imaginary belief is enough, according to her, to say the Free Speech Union can’t use council facilities.
Fairey, who is the Community Committee chairwoman, understood the venue was receiving complaints about the booking and asked staff how the issue would be handled.
And how many complaints? From whom?
In a statement today, the Free Speech Union blasted Fairey’s email, characterising her position as suggesting a “lesbian speaker may not fit council’s rainbow safe space”.
It also claimed members of the public had been encouraged to write to the centre “demanding cancellation”.
Free Speech Union executive director Jillaine Heather said Wednesday’s event was to discuss whether people holding public appointments were still permitted to hold political opinions and “who gets told to stay quiet”.
“We could not have arranged a better illustration,” Heather said.
“Wednesday’s conversation asks who decides which views may be aired inside public institutions. A councillor has stepped forward to answer.
“Ani O’Brien is a gay woman. She is being treated as unfit for a council hall on the grounds that the hall is welcoming to gay people.”
Heather said the law recognised people’s rights to freedom of speech and peaceful assembly. Council venues should be available to all Aucklanders and must be “managed neutrally and without discrimination”.
“[…] Auckland Council director community Rachel Kelleher said the Ellen Melville Centre was an accessible Proud Centre and community hub in the city centre.”
Note the woke capital P. As an aside, the gay community can’t stand Pride. As Marsellus Wallace would say, “Fuck Pride.”
The council’s bookable spaces were available to hire with the aim of providing access to all Aucklanders, Kelleher said.
“If a booking is accepted, it doesn’t mean that we endorse the content of the event, but rather that we manage our venues in a non-discriminatory manner and do not take a position on the views of the hirer.”
Venue hirers were required to meet terms and conditions of the venue hire agreement and to provide safe and secure events.
Let’s be clear. Auckland Council doesn’t own council venues. Ratepayers own them. Auckland Council can’t stop people using them without good reason. And having opposing ideological views isn’t one of them.
