Editor’s Note: A previous version of this story stated that Meghan Murphy’s planned gender identity talk at the Vancouver Public Library on Jan. 10 has been cancelled. It has actually not been cancelled and is still going ahead as planned, Murphy has confirmed. CKNW regrets the error.
Feminist speaker Meghan Murphy, whose planned public talk at the Vancouver Public Library stirred local controversy over LGBTQ rights and the limits of free speech, will still be going ahead with her event on Jan. 10.
An email sent to CKNW on Saturday, Dec. 1, appeared to be from Murphy saying she has been receiving too many complains and decided to pull the plug on her planned appearance. Murphy has confirmed the email did not come from her but it is unclear who sent the message.
Murphy, the editor of Feminist Current, had billed her discussion at the VPL’s central branch as a discussion on gender identity and women’s rights.
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However, her writing on sex and gender — particularly questioning whether people can change their biological sex and arguing that “men aren’t women” — has drawn condemnation from trans advocates.
The Library says it did not necessarily endorse the event, but accepted the room booking and is committed to free speech and intellectual freedom as fundamental values of public libraries.