LGBTQIA+ activists protest against ‘women’s rights campaigner’ Posie Parker in Birmingham

A women’s rights campaigner rally in Birmingham was met with resistance from LGBTQIA+ activists and allies today (May 14). Posie Parker, 48, aka Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull’s, founder of the group Standing for Women, hosted her Let Women Speak event in Birmingham a day after the Eurovision celebrations.

Parker travels across the UK and the world to host her gender-critical events. She was dubbed as an “anti-trans” campaigner by The Guardian.

Her event was countered by LGBTQIA+ activists and allies who arrived at her event in Birmingham at Centenary Square today.

West Midlands Police also arrived at the site. On Twitter, the police said: “Our local teams are in Birmingham city centre this afternoon as demonstrators carry out a peaceful protest. We are continuing to observe and monitor and will respond accordingly. Officers will be around the area should you need their assistance.”

However, some people on Twitter responded to the police saying: “Two women have been assaulted already - that isn’t peaceful. I look forward to hearing about what you are going to do about it.”

Another added: “Peaceful? Two females got assaulted. The only thing protecting these women from a large group of predominantly male activists was brave females who linked arms to keep the mob at bay! You did nothing to help those women/children.”

While another added: “I see two officers. I’m sure there are more there but it is a very light touch. Sincerely hoping those protesting against a few women simply speaking choose to keep the day peaceful.”

Meanwhile, people critical of Posie Parker also reacted to her event.

Rhiannon Lockley, chair of BCU UCU - the trade union representing Academic and Professional Services staff at Birmingham City University, said: “Here at centenary square to say #TransRightsAreHumanRights @ThePosieParker does not speak for Birmingham women. As a mother and trade unionist I stand against biological determinism & its use to attack members, communities, students & kids.”

Who is Posie Parker?

Parker is a self-confessed women’s rights activist. Her group’s website says it plans to ensure the word woman “is retained to mean ‘adult human female’ only”.

The website says: “Without this word all of our rights and protections are lost. Our rights were never created for our ‘gender’ but our sex.

“Our sex is female. The sex that bears children. The sex that requires maternity rights, privacy rights, equality with the male sex in the work place, specific health care issues, reproductive rights, and so on. If our rights become dependent upon ‘gender’ then they are no longer women’s rights, they are ‘feminine’ rights.”

It further adds: “2023 is the year of the TERF [trans-exclusionary radical feminist]”.

She was met with resistance during her event in Glasgow, Scotland, New Zealand, and several other cities. She is currently on a world tour spanning several continents, and filming everything with a professional documentary crew.