Protesters shut down a McGill University event about transgender zealots suppressing free speech

Angry trans rights protesters swarmed out, shutting down a lecture at McGill University by an alumnus who discussed how the trans movement is violating women’s rights.

Protesters filled the hallway outside a classroom hosting the lecture by Robert Wintemute – a professor of human rights law at Kings College – whom they accused of being “notoriously transphobic and trans-exclusive”. The lecture was eventually cancelled.

Wintemute discussed how he believes women’s rights are violated when they don’t speak up for themselves for fear of intimidation by trans activists. He told CTV he had to “thank the protesters” for proving the point of his speech.

Tuesday’s talk was hosted by the Center for Human Rights and Legal Pluralism (CHRLP) in McGill. The center said Wintemute’s invitation to speak was not intended as an endorsement of his views, but rather as a platform for debate on the issue.

Activists demonstrate before the lecture in the Old Chancellor Day Hall at McGill University

Protesters filled the hallway outside a classroom hosting the lecture by Robert Wintemute – a professor of human rights law at Kings College – whom they accused of being “notoriously transphobic and trans-exclusive”.

Footage from the scene showed protesters crammed into a hallway at the Old Chancellor Day Hall in McGill.

They could be heard chanting “LGB, plus the T!”. and yelling at obscene people trying to force their way through the crowd into conversation.

The protest was organized by trans activist Celeste Trianon, who said she was “surprised, shocked and disgusted” by the subject of the talk.

“I feel like there’s such a tragic irony when someone is actively working to dismantle human rights against one of the most marginalized groups,” she told CTV. “How such an event can be hosted at the McGill Center for Human Rights and Legal Pluralism.”

She added that the conversation would lead to trans deaths.

Wintemute’s talk was called Sex vs. Gender (Identity) Debate In the United Kingdom and the Divorce of LGB from T.

The CHRLP’s website said it was intended as a conversation about how easy it should be for transgender people to legally change their gender.

It also said it was “about exceptional situations, such as women-only spaces and sports, where the person’s birth sex should take precedence over their gender identity, regardless of their legal gender.”

Wintemute called the reaction to his speech “hysterical” and said it validated his position that any debate on the subject would be labeled “hate speech”.

“Probably the majority of women in this country disagree with some transgender demands, but they refuse to say so because they are seen as intolerant,” he said.

He also denied allegations that he was in any way phobic and said he had campaigned for LGB rights for 37 years.

Protesters, McGill students, faculty and alumni wrote an open letter expressing their disapproval of Wintemute’s claims that the trans movement stands up for women’s rights.

“The undermining of trans people’s human rights does not benefit any member of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community or the feminist movement,” the letter reads.

CHRLP Professor Frédéric Mégret defended the decision to invite Wintemute as a speaker.

“Professor Wintemute has served as a trustee of the LGB Alliance since 2021, but he will not be invited in that capacity,” he told CTV.

“We understand these are not amicable issues. However, we believe that they can be productively and sustainably discussed in an academic setting and could actually be an opportunity to challenge certain views.’