NYC venue cancels event with a feminist writer who criticized gender reassignment surgeries
A cultural venue in Manhattan, which prides itself on inclusivity, has reportedly canceled an event featuring a feminist writer because of negative comments it received on social media surrounding her criticism of child gender reassignment surgeries.
The Georgia Room backed out of hosting the April 26 U.S. launch of British author Mary Harrington's book, Feminism Against Progress, co-sponsored by the Compact Magazine and First Things journal.
"If you signed up for our April 26 event with Mary Harrington (@moveincircles) in NYC: We've been canceled by the 'inclusive' venue, Georgia Room," Compact's founder and editor Sohrab Ahmari tweeted Friday.
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One of Harrington's tweets, which referred to those who perform child gender reassignment surgeries as "butchers," was the immediate cause of the cancelation, the feminist author, who describes herself as "a mildly heretical Anglican," wrote in an op-ed published by Compact.
"My immediate offense was a tweet criticizing child gender-reassignment surgery, an irreversible act that can permanently sterilize the patient," wrote Harrington, a mother who describes herself as a reactionary feminist.
"My criticism was strongly worded, because some things deserve to be strenuously opposed. Children who undergo gender-reassignment surgery are legally unable to consent to sex. They aren't allowed to purchase cigarettes or alcohol. And yet in gender reassignment, their sexual organs are removed and they are prescribed powerful hormones."
However, the venue's objection went beyond a single tweet. Harrington claims the Georgia Room expressed discomfort with her broader views on the physical differences between men and women and their political significance.
Harrington sees this decision as evidence that New York City is losing its intellectual robustness and exchanging free debate for stifling orthodoxy.
The Christian Post contacted the Georgia Room for comment on Harrington's claims. A response is pending.
The cancelation of the event is not an isolated incident, she argues.
"I am far from the first woman to be targeted for saying these things. Many British women have been deplatformed, censored, unfriended, and fired because they spoke out against transgenderism," she wrote. "Americans aren't yet fully acquainted with these tactics, but they soon will be."
Harrington acknowledged the allure of the idea that humans can overcome their physical bodies, particularly in a place like New York City, where such ideas seem to dominate. But she contends that the city's architecture and infrastructure demonstrate the importance of recognizing and respecting the material world, including the reality of sex differences.
The author expressed sympathy for those who believe they are making the world a better place by promoting gender ideology but maintained that sympathy alone does not make a viewpoint true.
"Humans still can't change sex. Even in New York City, embodied sex still matters. Deep down, fast-talking, freewheeling, street-smart, and book-smart New York still knows this. The show will go on. Somehow, somewhere we will hold the book launch. In the face of powerful resistance, we will defend reality," she concluded.
