![Posie Parker on SOCO Films](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/35/Posie_Parker_on_SOCO_Films.jpg)
Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull, also known as Kellie-Jay Keen and Posie Parker, is a British anti-
transgender rights
A transgender person is someone whose gender identity is inconsistent or not culturally associated with the sex they were assigned at birth and also with the gender role that is associated with that sex. They may have, or may intend to establi ...
activist and founder of the group Standing for Women.
She describes herself as a
woman's rights activist.
She has used billboards, posters, stickers and
social media
Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social medi ...
to promote anti-transgender rights messages, and has held events in the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, and New Zealand that have been protested against by supporters of
transgender
A transgender (often abbreviated as trans) person is someone whose gender identity or gender expression does not correspond with their sex assigned at birth. Many transgender people experience dysphoria, which they seek to alleviate through tr ...
rights.
Biography
Keen-Minshull opposes laws and policies that allow
transgender
A transgender (often abbreviated as trans) person is someone whose gender identity or gender expression does not correspond with their sex assigned at birth. Many transgender people experience dysphoria, which they seek to alleviate through tr ...
people to be
legally recognised as their gender,
the
use of public bathrooms by transgender people according to their gender, the participation of
transgender people in sports
The participation of transgender people in competitive sports, a traditionally sex-segregated institution, is a controversial issue, particularly the inclusion of transgender women and girls in women's sports.
Opponents argue that transgender ...
that align with their gender, and
drag performances, including in locations that may be viewed by children.
She also opposes the use of
puberty blockers
Puberty blockers, also called puberty inhibitors or hormone blockers, are medicines used to postpone puberty in children. The most commonly used puberty blockers are gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists, which suppress the production ...
and
hormone replacement therapy for
transgender children
Transgender youth are children or adolescents who do not identify with the sex they were assigned at birth. Because transgender youth are usually dependent on their parents for care, shelter, financial support, and other needs, transgender yo ...
.
Keen-Minshull is also a special advisor to the
Women's Liberation Front
The Women's Liberation Front (WoLF) is an American self-described radical feminist organization that opposes transgender rights and gender identity legislation. It has engaged in litigation on transgender topics, working against the Obama administ ...
(WoLF).
In 2023, the ''
New Zealand Herald'' described Keen-Minshull as "a key figure in the movement against the UK's
Gender Recognition Act
The Gender Recognition Act 2004 is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that allows people who have gender dysphoria to change their legal gender. It came into effect on 4 April 2005.
Operation of the law
The Gender Recognition Ac ...
".
Billboards, posters, stickers
Keen-Minshull is credited for popularising the term "adult human female" to define a woman, which she began to promote in 2018 on billboards.
The term is associated with
gender-critical
Feminist views on transgender topics vary widely. Third-wave feminists and fourth-wave feminists tend to view the struggle for trans rights as an integral part of intersectional feminism. Former president of the American National Organization f ...
feminism.
In September 2018, under the pseudonym "Posie Parker", Keen-Minshull paid the advertising company
Primesight
STV Group plc (formerly known as Scottish Television plc, Scottish Media Group plc and SMG plc) is a media company based in Glasgow, Scotland. Beginning as a television broadcaster in 1957, the company expanded into newspapers, advertising and r ...
to place a billboard poster in
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
with the text "woman, wʊmən, noun, adult human female", telling the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...
it was in response to support expressed by Liverpool mayor
Joe Anderson for the trans community.
Keen-Minshull said she was concerned the word "woman" was "being appropriated to mean anything" and that the poster was intended to "start a conversation" about women's rights.
Primesight removed the poster following a complaint, stating it had been "unaware of the motive" and "misled" and was "fully committed to equality for all".
In response to the poster, LGBT charity
Stonewall
Stonewall or Stone wall may refer to:
* Stone wall, a kind of masonry construction
* Stonewalling, engaging in uncooperative or delaying tactics
* Stonewall riots, a 1969 turning point for the modern LGBTQ rights movement in Greenwich Village, Ne ...
noted in their 2018 Trans Report on violence and hate crimes against trans people that: "These are not just statistics, they represent the lives of trans people, which are only being made worse by increasingly frequent attacks in the media, online and in public spaces."
Standing for Women had a digital version of the poster placed on a billboard in
Leeds
Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...
on 19 October 2018, and Kong Outdoor, which owned the billboard, said the sign initially appeared to comply with
Advertising Standards Authority regulations, but then removed it pending further investigation after becoming aware of "the controversy around the message."
In May 2019, a sticker stating "Women only. This is a single
sex service under the
Equality Act 2010" that was produced by Standing for Women and designed to appear official was removed from a
Dundee Railway Station bathroom door after station staff were alerted.
Keen-Minshull denied that the group had placed the sticker in the station and said "We are fed up that the protected category of sex in the
Equality Act is routinely ignored and are standing up and saying we matter too."
On 27 July 2020, Keen-Minshull paid for a poster reading "I ❤
JK Rowling" to be displayed at
Waverley Station
Edinburgh Waverley railway station (also known simply as Waverley; gd, Waverley Dhùn Èideann) is the principal railway station serving Edinburgh, Scotland. It is the second busiest station in Scotland, after Glasgow Central. It is the north ...
in
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...
.
Rowling had recently elicited controversy for
her views on trans people. The poster was taken down by the Scotland wing of
Network Rail
Network Rail Limited is the owner (via its subsidiary Network Rail Infrastructure Limited, which was known as Railtrack plc before 2002) and infrastructure manager of most of the railway network in Great Britain. Network Rail is an "arm's leng ...
on 30 July, who stated that the poster was removed for violating its advertising guidelines due to its political nature.
On 11 September 2020, Chris Elston and Amy Hamm paid for the same message to be posted on a billboard on
Hastings Street, Vancouver. It was blacked out the next day, following complaints.
In July 2021, Speak Up For Women in New Zealand used the phrase "adult human female" in billboards, which were removed following complaints about
transphobia
Transphobia is a collection of ideas and phenomena that encompass a range of negative attitudes, feelings, or actions towards transgender people or transness in general. Transphobia can include fear, aversion, hatred, violence or anger tow ...
.
HelloPrint, the company that had produced stickers, t-shirts, and other merchandise for Keen-Minshull over five years announced in February 2023 that it would no longer fill orders for Keen-Minshull, and "If we had been fully aware of her beliefs earlier, we would earlier have refused to print for her."
Social media
In 2018, after a complaint from
Susie Green
Susie Green (born December 1957) is the former chief executive officer of Mermaids, a British advocacy organisation for gender variant and transgender youth. She stepped down unexpectedly on 25 November 2022 after six years of service.
Career
Gr ...
, then CEO of transgender charity
Mermaids
In folklore, a mermaid is an aquatic creature with the head and upper body of a female human and the tail of a fish. Mermaids appear in the folklore of many cultures worldwide, including Europe, Asia, and Africa.
Mermaids are sometimes asso ...
, Keen-Minshull was interviewed by
West Yorkshire Police for suspicion of malicious communication in relation to
tweets made by Keen-Minshull.
In 2019, Keen-Minshull said she was interviewed by
Wiltshire Police for suspicion of harassment due to two YouTube videos she had produced that directed criticism at Green for supporting her daughter's
transition.
The 2018 case was closed with no further action.
In May 2018,
Woman's Place UK
Woman's Place UK (WPUK) is a British political advocacy group founded in 2017.
The group is opposed to gender self-identification for trans people in the UK, and has advocated restricting access to women-only spaces on the basis of "sex, not g ...
, an organisation that opposes
gender self-identification for trans people, announced that it had disinvited Keen-Minshull from a meeting, based on objections to "her stated views on race and religion."
In 2022, Woman's Place UK published screenshots they said were from Keen's Twitter account and since deleted, to "clarify our own political ground",
stating they had invited Keen-Minshull to discuss the 2018 police investigation related to her tweets, and since then, "many of her subsequent connections, statements and actions have only strengthened our decision not to work with her."
On 30 January 2019,
Sarah McBride
Sarah McBride (born August 9, 1990) is an American activist and politician who has been a Democratic member of the Delaware Senate since January 2021. She was previously the National Press Secretary of the Human Rights Campaign. After winning ...
, a transgender rights activist and press secretary for the
Human Rights Campaign
The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) is an American LGBTQ advocacy group. It is the largest LGBTQ political lobbying organization within the United States. Based in Washington, D.C., the organization focuses on protecting and expanding rights for LGB ...
(HRC), participated in a panel discussion between members of the Parents for Transgender Equality National Council and members of the
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...
, during a visit to
Capitol Hill
Capitol Hill, in addition to being a metonym for the United States Congress, is the largest historic residential neighborhood in Washington, D.C., stretching easterly in front of the United States Capitol along wide avenues. It is one of the ...
to advocate for the
Equality Act.
Afterwards, Keen-Minshull and Julia Long entered the room in the
Cannon House Office Building where McBride was working, and recorded themselves on Facebook Live yelling at and
misgendering
Transphobia is a collection of ideas and phenomena that encompass a range of negative attitudes, feelings, or actions towards transgender people or transness in general. Transphobia can include fear, aversion, hatred, violence or anger tow ...
her.
In response to the 30 January incident, an HRC spokesperson stated: "It is disturbing but not at all surprising that anti-transgender extremists brought to the United States at the behest of
The Heritage Foundation
The Heritage Foundation (abbreviated to Heritage) is an American conservative think tank based in Washington, D.C. that is primarily geared toward public policy. The foundation took a leading role in the conservative movement during the presiden ...
would stoop to harassing a transgender woman and parents of transgender youth."
A spokesperson for The Heritage Foundation denied a connection to the presence of Keen-Minshull and Long in the United States and said in reference to a Heritage Foundation panel discussion attended by Keen-Minshull that the organisation had "no contact with them before or after our Jan. 28 event, and have zero connection to anything they did afterward."
In October 2019, Keen-Minshull appeared in a video interview with
Jean-François Gariépy
Jean-François Gariépy (born 1984) is a French Canadian white nationalist, former neuroscience researcher, and alt-right
The alt-right, an abbreviation of alternative right, is a far-right, white nationalist movement. A largely online phe ...
, a far-right YouTuber who advocates for a "
white ethno-state".
She has also given an interview to Soldiers of Christ Online, a far-right network.
Keen-Minshull denied prior knowledge of the interviewers' far-right affiliations.
In 2019, Jean Hatchet, a
gender-critical
Feminist views on transgender topics vary widely. Third-wave feminists and fourth-wave feminists tend to view the struggle for trans rights as an integral part of intersectional feminism. Former president of the American National Organization f ...
activist, expressed concerns about what she described as "right-wing links" developed by Keen-Minshull in the US, as well as her connections to The Heritage Foundation, writing on her blog: "I don't care what these people think about trans ideology. That cannot be separated from the things they do and advocate that specifically harm women."
In 2021, Keen-Minshull produced a YouTube video about
Mridul Wadhwa
Mridul Machindra Wadhwa (born 1978) is an Indian-born Scottish women's rights, trans rights and anti-domestic violence campaigner. She serves as Chief Executive Officer of Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre. She is a member of the Scottish Green Par ...
, the director of the Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre (ERCC), who has faced threats of violence that led to increased security at the ERCC, and has been the focus of an activist and social media campaign opposed to her hiring because she is a trans woman.
Keen-Minshull referred to Wadhwa as a "male CEO."
She praised far-right activist
Tommy Robinson in a podcast for ''
Feminist Current
Meghan Emily Murphy is a Canadian writer, journalist, and founder of ''Feminist Current'', a feminist website and podcast. Her writing, speeches, and talks have criticized third-wave feminism, male feminists, the sex industry, exploitation of ...
''.
Rallies, speaker events, and protests
United Kingdom
A 15 May 2022 rally organised by Keen-Minshull was interrupted by a woman, posing as a speaker, who took the microphone to say: "I just wanna say that I am a cis female and I recognise trans women in women's spaces as alright, and I don't think we need to protest that, I don't think we need the vitriolic hate. Trans women are women!"
The microphone was eventually recovered by Keen-Minshull after the woman was chased by rally organisers and the crowd booed and chanted.
Allie Crew, an artist whose work the speakers stood in front of during the rally, tweeted in response to it: "I am greatly saddened that my work was re-appropriated like this and I do not share their views. I promote all human rights". Keen-Minshull said in response that counter-protesters had blocked access to the
Emmeline Pankhurst statue.
On 19 June 2022, Keen-Minshull and approximately 60 supporters held a rally in Bristol, which was met by approximately 100 counter-protestors organised by Bristol Against Hate.
Avon and Somerset police said police separated the groups by forming a line, and that "while both groups at times raised their voices, there were no physical confrontations. The right to protest is a fundamental democratic right and we are pleased to have been able to facilitate both these demonstrations."
On 18 September 2022, a rally in
Brighton
Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London.
Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...
organised by Keen-Minshull as part of a speakers tour was met by hundreds of counter-protesters.
Sussex police reported three arrests,
including a 50-year-old man who attended the event to support Keen-Minshull and later admitted in court to assault of a counter-demonstrator.
At a Standing For Women rally in
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...
on 15 January 2023, speaker Lisa Morgan referred to "the
big lie" concept, including that it was "first described by
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
in ''
Mein Kampf
(; ''My Struggle'' or ''My Battle'') is a 1925 autobiographical manifesto by Nazi Party leader Adolf Hitler. The work describes the process by which Hitler became antisemitic and outlines his political ideology and future plans for Germ ...
''", and said "The big lie is that trans women are women."
''Queer.de'' reported Keen-Minshull appeared "visibly and audibly in a good mood" after the speech, based on a YouTube video of the event posted to Keen-Minshull's account.
On 5 February 2023, Keen-Minshull organised a "Let Women Speak" protest in
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
's
George Square
George Square ( gd, Ceàrnag Sheòrais) is the principal civic square in the city of Glasgow, Scotland. It is one of six squares in the city centre, the others being Cathedral Square, St Andrew's Square, St Enoch Square, Royal Exchange Sq ...
in response to the passage of the
Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill
The Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill is a bill passed by the Scottish Parliament. The bill seeks to amend the Gender Recognition Act 2004 of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, making it simpler for people to change their legal gen ...
and the
Isla Bryson case; hundreds of protesters and counterprotestors attended, and the counterprotestors were organised by the Cabaret Against The Hate Speech.
United States
In January 2020, Keen-Minshull spoke at a panel organised by the
Women's Liberation Front
The Women's Liberation Front (WoLF) is an American self-described radical feminist organization that opposes transgender rights and gender identity legislation. It has engaged in litigation on transgender topics, working against the Obama administ ...
(WoLF) in New York.
In March 2022, Keen attended the
NCAA Division I Women's Swimming Championship in Atlanta and led a group protesting the inclusion of
Lia Thomas.
She also appeared on ''
Tucker Carlson Tonight'', a
Fox News
The Fox News Channel, abbreviated FNC, commonly known as Fox News, and stylized in all caps, is an American multinational conservative cable news television channel based in New York City. It is owned by Fox News Media, which itself is owne ...
talk show, to discuss Lia Thomas.
On 16 March 2022, Keen-Minshull was a panelist at an event in New York City titled "How 'Gender Equality' Cheats Women and Girls", hosted by the Center for Bioethics and Culture Network.
On 16 October 2022, Keen-Minshull began a series of public speaking events organised by Standing for Women in the United States that were intended to tour eleven cities, starting in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
.
In Los Angeles and the second stop in
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
, few supporters attended, and there were no counter-protesters nor police at the events.
Keen-Minshull said threats from
Antifa led her to cancel the speakers for an event in
Portland, Oregon
Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...
.
In a video published on Twitter, an attendee at the Portland event was hit in the face with a
pie
A pie is a baked dish which is usually made of a pastry dough casing that contains a filling of various sweet or savoury ingredients. Sweet pies may be filled with fruit (as in an apple pie), nuts ( pecan pie), brown sugar ( sugar pie), swe ...
.
At an event on 26 October in
Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, Washington, Olympia, and northwest of Mount ...
, Keen-Minshull spoke to about 30 attendees.
During the event, about 20 counter-protesters were outside of the plaza where the event was held, and then as their number grew to about 200, counter-protesters entered the plaza.
Pepper spray was used on several counter-protesters.
At the 29 October event in
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...
, Keen-Minshull was observed to have protection from armed security guards,
and at the 30 October event in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
, Keen-Minshull said she had uniformed Chicago police officers escort her through crowds.
Counter-protestors at the Chicago event rallied at Cityfront Plaza.
On 14 November, nine people were arrested at an event outside City Hall in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
, after a confrontation between counter-protesters and attendees.
Australia
In January 2023, Keen-Minshull announced plans to tour Australia and New Zealand in March.
Stephen Bates
Stephen James Bates (born 23 November 1992) is an Australian politician who is a member of the Australian Greens, and was elected as the member for the Division of Brisbane in the 2022 Australian federal election, defeating sitting Liberal membe ...
, the
Australian Greens
The Australian Greens, commonly known as The Greens, are a confederation of Green state and territory political parties in Australia. As of the 2022 federal election, the Greens are the third largest political party in Australia by vote and th ...
' spokesperson for LGBTQIA+ communities, wrote to Immigration Minister
Andrew Giles
Andrew James Giles (born 31 July 1973) is an Australian politician. He has been a Labor member of the Australian House of Representatives since September 2013, representing the Division of Scullin, Victoria. He is currently the Minister for Imm ...
asking him to revoke Keen-Minshull's visa and posted the letter online but redacted her name, stating, "I won't be sharing their name because I don’t want to amplify their hate speech."
Keen-Minshull later said she was the subject of the letter.
A petition also launched on
Change.org
Change.org is a worldwide nonprofit petition website, based in California, US, operated by the San Francisco-based company of the same name, which has over 400 million users and offers the public the ability to promote the petitions they care abo ...
to oppose the visa.
By 18 February, the petition was removed, because according to a Change.org spokesperson, the website "received a legal claim on this petition and in order to comply with Australia’s defamation law, we were forced to remove it from the platform."
According to LGBTQIA+ rights activist Chris Johnson, who started the petition, there had been more than 11,167 signatures.
Keen-Minshull's
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
event on 18 March was attended by a group of at least 30 neo-Nazis, organised by the
National Socialist Network
The National Socialist Network (NSN) is an Far-right politics in Australia, Australian neo-Nazi political organisation allegedly formed from two far-right organisations, the Lads Society and the Antipodean Resistance, in 2020. The organisation ...
and its leader
Thomas Sewell Thomas Sewell may refer to:
* Tom Sewell (basketball) (born 1962), American shooting guard
* Tom Sewell (cricketer, born 1806) (1806–1888), English cricketer
* Tom Sewell (cricketer, born 1830) (1830–1871), English cricketer, son of Tom Sewell s ...
, who were seen performing the
Nazi salute on the steps of
Parliament House
Parliament House may refer to:
Australia
* Parliament House, Canberra, Parliament of Australia
* Parliament House, Adelaide, Parliament of South Australia
* Parliament House, Brisbane, Parliament of Queensland
* Parliament House, Darwin, Parliame ...
and displaying a banner that read "Destroy Paedo Freaks".
Overall attendance at the event was estimated to be between 300 and 400 supporters at the anti-transgender protest led by Keen-Minshull, and about twice as many counterprotesters.
Regarding neo-Nazi presence at the 18 March Melbourne event, following the event Keen-Minshull said "They're absolutely not associated with me whatsoever. I absolutely abhor anything to do with Nazis. It's preposterous they even exist in 2023."
The prime minister of Australia,
Anthony Albanese
Anthony Norman Albanese ( or ; born 2 March 1963) is an Australian politician serving as the 31st and current prime minister of Australia since 2022. He has been leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) since 2019 and the member of parlia ...
, later made a statement that included, "In Melbourne on the weekend we saw an anti-trans rally, which is really disrespectful of who people are, and then it was joined by a bunch of people who were essentially doing Nazi salutes and slogans ... That of course should be condemned by all Australians".
On 23 March, Keen-Minshull held a rally outside of the
Australia Parliament House in
Canberra
Canberra ( )
is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...
, attended by about 30 supporters, including
One Nation Party
Pauline Hanson's One Nation (PHON or ONP), also known as One Nation or One Nation Party, is a right-wing populist political party in Australia. It is led by Pauline Hanson.
One Nation had electoral success in the late 1990s, before suffering ...
senators
Pauline Hanson
Pauline Lee Hanson (''née'' Seccombe, formerly Zagorski; born 27 May 1954) is an Australian politician who is the founder and leader of One Nation, a right-wing populist political party. Hanson has represented Queensland in the Australian ...
and
Malcolm Roberts and
United Australia Party senator
Ralph Babet
Ralph Emmanuel Didier "Deej" Babet ( ; born 29 June 1983) is an Australian politician and a member of the United Australia Party. He was elected to represent Victoria in the Australian Senate at the 2022 Australian federal election, commencing h ...
.
The rally was also attended by a group of about 100 counterprotesters, including senator
Lidia Thorpe
Lidia Alma Thorpe (born 1973) is an Australian politician representing the Australian Greens. She has been a senator for Victoria since 2020, and is the first Aboriginal senator from that state. From June to October 2022, she served as the Gre ...
, who on video footage of the rally appeared to be pulled to the ground by police after she approached Keen-Minshull while shouting "you're not welcome here."
New Zealand
Following her Melbourne event, Keen-Minshull's permission to enter New Zealand was put under review by
Immigration New Zealand
Immigration New Zealand ( mi, Te Ratonga Manene; INZ), formerly the New Zealand Immigration Service (NZIS), is the agency within the New Zealand Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) that is responsible for border control, issu ...
on 20 March.
In response, the centre-right
National Party's deputy leader
Nicola Willis argued that Keen-Minshull should be allowed into the country on free speech grounds. By contrast, the left-wing
Green Party
A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as social justice, environmentalism and nonviolence.
Greens believe that these issues are inherently related to one another as a foundation ...
's immigration spokesperson
Ricardo Menéndez March
Ricardo Menéndez March (born ) is a New Zealand activist and politician who, since 2020, is a Member of Parliament for the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand in the House of Representatives.
Early life and career
The son of a Mexican father ...
opposed Keen-Minshull's entry on the grounds that her presence would endanger the rainbow and Muslim communities. The review decided to allow her to enter New Zealand. On 23 March, a coalition of rainbow support groups filed for a
judicial review
Judicial review is a process under which executive, legislative and administrative actions are subject to review by the judiciary. A court with authority for judicial review may invalidate laws, acts and governmental actions that are incompat ...
of the decision to allow Keen-Minshull to enter New Zealand. The following day, the
High Court at Wellington ruled the decision was lawful. Before Keen-Minshull held events in New Zealand, Immigration Minister
Michael Wood described her views as "inflammatory, vile and incorrect."
On 25 March, a rally organised by Keen-Minshull in central
Auckland
Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...
was also attended by counter-protesters, estimated to number in the thousands, who made noise and chanted loudly before her appearance;
tomato juice was poured on Keen-Minshull by intersex activist
Eliana Rubashkyn
Eliana Rubashkyn (; ), (born 25 June 1988) is a New Zealand pharmacist and chemist, known for being the first intersex person assigned male at birth legally recognised as a woman with a UN mechanism under the international refugee statute. Born ...
, and Keen-Minshull left the area with a police escort before she could speak.
The rally was also attended by a small group wearing
Azov Battalion and
Boogaloo Boys insignia, as well as a member of the white nationalist
Action Zealandia
Action Zealandia is a White nationalist and neo-Nazi group in New Zealand that emerged following the Christchurch mosque shooting in 2019 as the successor to an earlier group called the Dominion Movement. According to Newshub, Action Zealandia ...
group and members of right-wing groups including the
New Conservative Party New Conservative Party (or similar names) may refer to:
* New Conservative Party (UK), 1960–1962
* New Conservative Group, Australia, 1991–1992
* New Conservative Party (Japan), 2000–2003
* New Zealand Conservative Party, 1996-c.1998
* New C ...
,
Voices for Freedom
Voices for Freedom (VFF) is an anti-vaccine advocacy group in New Zealand that formed in December 2020 to oppose the New Zealand Government's COVID-19 mitigation policies and vaccination rollout. The organisation is founded and led by food blog ...
, and
Counterspin Media
''Counterspin Media'' is a far-right, anti-vaccine, and conspiracy theorist New Zealand online media platform that was founded in May 2021.
''Counterspin Media'' has opposed the New Zealand Government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic includi ...
.
Keen-Minshull later said in a live-streamed video on her YouTube channel that she might not go to her
Wellington
Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...
event, scheduled for the following day, and Let Women Speak NZ subsequently announced the Wellington event was cancelled.
According to
Radio New Zealand
Radio New Zealand ( mi, Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa), commonly known as Radio NZ or simply RNZ, is a New Zealand public-service radio broadcaster and Crown entity that was established under the Radio New Zealand Act 1995. It operates news and c ...
, "Much of the early reporting on the counter-protest also painted it as either relatively peaceful or not particularly aggressive compared to other demonstrations like the Parliament occupation", and included descriptions of confrontations between supporters and protestors, as well as Keen-Minshull being drowned out by noise from protestors, while far-right media outlet
Counterspin Media
''Counterspin Media'' is a far-right, anti-vaccine, and conspiracy theorist New Zealand online media platform that was founded in May 2021.
''Counterspin Media'' has opposed the New Zealand Government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic includi ...
promoted "claims of rampant and unchecked violence."
The ''Weekend Collective'' talk show on
Newstalk ZB
Newstalk ZB is a nationwide New Zealand talk radio, talk-radio network operated by New Zealand Media and Entertainment, NZME Radio. It is available in almost every media market, radio market area in New Zealand, and has news reporters based in m ...
hosted callers criticising the protestors, and commentator
Chris Trotter
Christopher Marshall Trotter (born 1956) is a political commentator in New Zealand. He is the editor of the occasional '' Political Review'' magazine.
Biography
Chris Trotter has worked for unions and was on the New Zealand Council (the nationa ...
,
''The Platform'' host
Sean Plunket
Oliver Sean Plunket (known professionally as Sean Plunket) is a New Zealand broadcast journalist. Plunket has worked for several New Zealand broadcast media companies and stations including Radio Windy, Independent Radio News, Radio New Zealand, ...
and
Today FM
Today FM is an Irish national commercial FM radio station, owned and operated by Bauer Audio Ireland Limited. Broadcasting since 17 March 1997, it broadcasts mostly music, with a daily news and current affairs programme. Today FM holds a lic ...
host
Rachel Smalley
Rachel Smalley is a New Zealand television and radio journalist and presenter. From 2013 to 2017 she hosted ''Early Edition'' every weekday morning on Newstalk ZB and wrote regular columns for ''The New Zealand Herald''.
Early life
Smalley grew ...
criticised the protestors.
In response to the Auckland protest, Keen-Minshull's supporters in the United Kingdom called for a boycott of New Zealand products and held a protest at the New Zealand High Commission in London.
On 26 March, Keen-Minshull left New Zealand saying it was the "worst place for women she has ever visited" and described the media as corrupt and dishonest.
JK Rowling tweeted that a mob “had assaulted women standing up for their rights”.
After Keen-Minshull's New Zealand visit,
Paul Hunt, Chief Commissioner at the
New Zealand Human Rights Commission
The Human Rights Commission (Māori: ''Te Kāhui Tika Tangata'') is the national human rights institution (NHRI) for New Zealand. It operates as an independent Crown entity, and is independent from direction by the Cabinet.
Legislation and func ...
, wrote an opinion article in the ''
New Zealand Herald'' about his attendance at the Wellington pro-trans rally, including his opinion that "it's possible - and crucial - to support both trans and cisgendered women" and "Given trans people's historic persecution, and as they grow in strength and confidence, it is unrealistic to expect them to stand aside and do and say nothing. The state had a human rights responsibility to make arrangements for Keen-Minshull to speak without being assaulted, intimidated or shouted down. That did not happen."
Referring to the March 25 rally in Auckland,
National Party police spokesperson
Mark Mitchell called for "a serious review" into the failure of police to protect Keen-Minshull from being "assaulted".
In early April 2023, Radio New Zealand reported that Keen-Minshull's New Zealand visit had led to a massive increase in online transphobia within the country. Public figures such as
Green Party
A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as social justice, environmentalism and nonviolence.
Greens believe that these issues are inherently related to one another as a foundation ...
co-leader
Marama Davidson and transgender activist
Shaneel Lal
Shaneel Shavneel Lal (born 22 January 2000) is a Fijian-New Zealand LGBT rights activist, known for spearheading the movement to ban conversion therapy in New Zealand. Lal is a model, a columnist for ''New Zealand Herald'', and a political com ...
, who participated in the counter-protest, were key targets of online hostility and threats. According to
The Disinformation Project
The Disinformation Project is an independent, interdisciplinary and non-government New Zealand research team that has been collecting and analysing data on the causes and impact of mis- and disinformation within the country's society from the e ...
researcher
Sanjana Hattotuwa, anti-vaccine and anti-mandate groups over the past fortnight had distributed "extraordinarily violent" content disseminated by Australian neo-Nazi, neo-fascist, and anti-Semitic groups and networks. Similarly, counter-extremism researcher
Byron C. Clark observed that extremist groups in New Zealand had adopted transphobia as a "wedge issue" to exploit public fear about an already marginalised group and "get themselves closer to the mainstream."
Political career
In September 2022, in response to
Eddie Izzard's announcement of her plan to run for
MP of
Sheffield Central
Sheffield Central is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2010 by Paul Blomfield, a member of the Labour Party.
Boundaries
;First creation
1885–1918: The Municipal Borough of Sheffield wards of S ...
, Keen-Minshull announced her own plan to run, saying she would "campaign on the basis of repealing the Gender Recognition Act" and "erase the word 'gender. During her livestreamed announcement, she also called the
hijab
In modern usage, hijab ( ar, حجاب, translit=ḥijāb, ) generally refers to headcoverings worn by Muslim women. Many Muslims believe it is obligatory for every female Muslim who has reached the age of puberty to wear a head covering. While ...
"atrocious" and a "tool of oppression", and referred to
Tucker Carlson as "an intelligent, really lovely, welcoming, warmly welcoming man".
Following her Auckland rally in March 2023, Keen-Minshull announced her intention to form her own party, the Party of Women, and take on
Labour
Labour or labor may refer to:
* Childbirth, the delivery of a baby
* Labour (human activity), or work
** Manual labour, physical work
** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer
** Organized labour and the labour ...
leader
Keir Starmer in his
Holborn and St Pancras constituency at the
next United Kingdom general election.
Personal life
Keen-Minshull was raised in
Somerset
( en, All The People of Somerset)
, locator_map =
, coordinates =
, region = South West England
, established_date = Ancient
, established_by =
, preceded_by =
, origin =
, lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset
, lord_ ...
and has an older sister, a husband, and four children.
On 30 September 2018, someone created a fake social media account impersonating Keen-Minshull's husband and sharing her personal information, including her name and address.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Keen-Minshull, Kellie-Jay
Transphobia in the United Kingdom
Living people
British women activists
Year of birth missing (living people)
People from Somerset
Alumni of the University of Leeds