A lesbian speed-dating event in London has been thrown into the spotlight after accusations of transphobia after the organizer said only “adult human females” were allowed to participate.
The outrage came after transgender women attempted to gain entry into the £15-a-head event, which was held in Bloomsbury in London.
Jenny Watson, a town planner who runs the event, posted to her website: “If you are male, please refrain from coming to the events, you are not a lesbian.”
She told The Daily Mail that “last year, a person turned up sporting a purple latex outfit… and an erection.”
“Another time, a trans woman came into the female toilet and pushed their body at a woman who was upset and told me after. It got me thinking that this isn’t fair on women.”
She continued: “Transgender individuals deserve respect. But there is a need for protection of sex-segregated spaces for lesbian women.”
As a result, activists reported Watson to her London council employers as transphobic for saying only “adult human females” were allowed to attend the lesbian speed-dating event. They also claimed that she was transphobic for suggesting “lesbians don’t have penises.”
The debacle over the speed-dating event comes just days after Costa Coffee, a large chain, faced criticism after advertising a cartoon that seemed to feature a transgender man with mastectomy scars.
The depiction was called “crass and irresponsible” and “absolutely bonkers” by gender-critical campaigners, per the report. Some viewed the cartoon as offensive toward women who have had to have double mastectomies after suffering breast cancer.
The chain defended the cartoon, saying that it was meant to promote “inclusivity and diversity.”
