Nottingham organisations respond to International Women’s Day incident

In a statement shared by Nottingham Pastel Project, a Trans Rights advocacy and lobbying non-profit, organisations across Nottingham have responded to an incident that took place at an event for International Women’s Day. On Friday 6^th March, the office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) in Nottinghamshire hosted an International Women's Day event which was attended by leaders in the Violence Against Women and Girls sector (VAMG), charities, local community groups and other organisations. The event celebrated inspirational women doing life-changing work in the area, giving them the recognition they deserve.

A post-event statement – signed by Equation Org., Imara, Nadia Whittome MP, Nottingham Pastel Project, Notts SVS Service, and Nottingham Women’s Centre – responds to the attendance and actions of well-known anti-trans group ‘Let Women Speak’, led by Kellie-Jay Keen (known publicly as Parker Posie).

Nottingham Pastel Project report that Keen, who had booked a stall, arrived with a microphone, camera woman and “a mission to interview harass and livestream as many women as possible about their organisations' trans inclusivity.

"Multiple wonderful Nottingham organisers at the International Women's Day event were interviewed without clear explanation of who they were being interviewed by and for what purpose. These were posted to YouTube without consent and Kellie-Jay Keen was eventually removed from the event by Police after refusing to leave.”

The statement adds that this is not the first time that Keen has been in Nottingham, exhibiting similar behaviour.

Nottingham Pastel Project continued: “We will continue to fight for trans rights alongside these fantastic community organisations who pledge to continue to champion trans women's access to services, support and assistance.

“We call upon the OPCC to work in collaboration with trans organisations in Nottingham to share information about known groups and people of risk so that we can mitigate the harm caused at future events. Multiple women interviewed at the OPCC event have described feelings of upset and distress. At what should have been an event to uplift, empower and celebrate women they were left feeling exhausted, disheartened and let down in a space that should have been safe and inclusive. Knowledge is power and the more people that we can make aware of the intentions and methods of groups such as ‘Let Women Speak’ the more we can protect all women from being harassed in future. Nottingham Pastel Project will continue to fight for trans women in Nottingham and are incredibly proud to work within a city full of [supportive] organisations.

“We share a dedication to protecting everyone's rights and providing safe and dignified spaces for all. we truly believe Nottingham can thrive if we all come together to stamp out hatred and champion inclusivity.”