Inquiry launched into row over ‘transphobia’ in Edinburgh pub

The women, who allege they were threatened by bar staff, left after officers were called to Doctors, on Forrest Road, on Saturday night.

However one of the pub’s employees, who describes himself as an “AGP porn addict male” on his Twitter account, said it was staff who felt threatened by the women who were “belligerent”.

Now Greene King, the chain which runs the pub – and 19 other premises in Edinburgh – has launched an internal investigation and police enquiries are also continuing.

According to one of the women involved, two tables of eight had been booked in the pub for a get-together of friends who are also part of a new women’s rights campaign.

One woman is understood to have been wearing a t-shirt with the slogan #womenwon’twheesht, while it is has been reported on social media that campaign leaflets against the Scottish Government’s plans to reform the Gender Recognition Act, were placed in the pub’s toilets.

Marion Millar, an accountant from Airdrie at the centre of a court case for allegedly posting homophobic and transphobic content on social media, was also in the pub with her husband, and later said on Twitter that after “popping in” she was told by staff: “I had 30 minutes to finish my drink terf… I was wearing clothing with no slogans or brand names. I did nothing wrong.”

Another of the women said: “We all turned up at the pub at the same time, we were directed to two adjacent areas and we settled in for a drink, food and a catch up. At about 9pm, we were joined by another small group.

“We were told at about 10pm that we had 20 minutes to finish as our booking had come to an end. I spoke to the person who came to the table to query that as we had no finish time on our booking.

“By this time we’d all bought several drinks and had eaten and were not planning to leave. At about 10.15pm the staff member repeated the request and walked off. Since I was sceptical about it I went to the bar to try and understand what was going on.

“Another member of staff, who identified herself as the most senior member in the absence of the manager, told me that we had been asked to move as our booking had finished.

“I explained the booking email had no expiry time on it and asked why should we be made to move.

“She then told me that we needed to move and we should take the hateful stickers we had put in the bathroom with us. She slapped a sticker with the words “Adult Human female” on the bar in front of me.

“I told her I had not been hateful and I had not put a sticker anywhere. She walked off so I shouted across to her because she had been rude, and accused me and my friends of being hateful and it was quite clear that a reason was being manufactured to get us to move and leave because they did not approve of our beliefs – that sex is real and can’t be changed.”

She said another member of staff then called the police who arrived around 10.35pm and she went outside to speak to them.

“I was told that the bar staff had a right to ask us to leave, even if there was no good reason,” she said.

“The officers spoke to several people, and one told me that everything we had told them would be in their report to the licensing board.

“I’m pretty shocked that I had been asked to leave a pub for the first time in my life, for just having thoughts that I kept to myself. What the bar staff clearly found distasteful was the presence of women they didn’t approve of.”

On Twitter the member of staff who asked the women to leave described them as TERFs (trans exclusionary radical feminists) and said: “I had to call the police because they were making my staff and other customers feel threatened.”

He added: “I should have kicked them out the minute they appeared. the whole bar team knew who they were from the start and asked me if I was comfortable with them.

“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.

“They refused to budge. It was fascinating seeing their level of entitlement and belligerence develop. The ring leaders started being arrogant and shouting at my staff till we all agreed the police would be the only way to remove them. Even then they lied to the police.

“My colleagues really despised their attitudes and even customers were complaining. Some customers asked what was happening and I told them the same account I told the police. They were horrified but thankful for me dealing with it the way I’m trained.

“There are two infallible truths in bars: the bartender is always right and the bartender can refuse service anytime

“Any terfs see this, I tried to be civil with you and you failed. You’re the worst customers ever. You dinnae belong in pubs… or society… you made my staff and other customers uncomfortable. I hope you understand just how much normal society despises you.”

He later locked his Twitter account.

A spokesperson 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.

“One of our team members did call the police due to some disruption and we are conducting an internal investigation and we will take appropriate action where necessary.”

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “We were called around 10.15pm on Saturday, August 21, to a report of a group of people refusing to leave a business premises in Forrest Road, Edinburgh. Officers attended, suitable advice was given and the group dispersed. We have no reports of criminality at this time, but enquiries continue into the incident.”

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