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The Leith Arches venue in Scotland appears to have canceled its "Comedy Unleashed" event over the inclusion of comedy writer Graham Linehan, a prominent skeptic of transgender ideology.
Irish comedy writer Graham Linehan wrote multiple famous comedy series such as "Father Ted," "The IT Crowd," and "Black Books." In more recent years however, Linehan, much like comedian Dave Chappelle, has become an increasingly political figure for his concern about the rise of transgender ideology and cancel culture. Linehan has been vocal about the social costs of speaking out, such as when he famously wrote an opinion piece for the Independent.ie about "how my transgender views cost me my marriage" and has warned on the BBC that "Every comedian at the moment is living under a kind of state of permanent blackmail."
The Leith Arches, a popular venue in Edinburgh, Scotland declared in an Instagram post earlier this week that it would cancel the event after members of the public and their community brought their attention to "a comedy act billed to perform at our venue this Thursday," claiming that "We were not made aware of the line up of this show in advance." It went on to declare, "We have made the decision to cancel this show, as we are an inclusive venue this does not align with our overall values."
It went on to declare in a separate post that "We work very closely with the LGBT+ community" and that hosting this one show would have "negative effect on future bookings," though it nonetheless denied that this choice was "influenced by the pressure of online activists."
Writer/Director Graham Linehan of Britain holds the award in the Comedy category for "The I.T. Crowd" at the 36th International Emmy Awards November 24, 2008 in New York. AFP PHOTO/Stan HONDA (STAN HONDA/AFP via Getty Images) (STAN HONDA/AFP via Getty Images)
Linehan’s oinitial reaction went viral across X, formerly known as Twitter, when he wrote, "Holy s--- the venue has canceled the WHOLE GIG because I'm on the bill."
Linehan spoke about the incident on X and compared it to the cancelation of his "Father Ted" musical for reportedly similar circumstances.
Father Ted creator Graham Linehan during a Let Women Speak rally in Belfast. Picture date: Sunday April 16, 2023. (Photo by Niall Carson/PA Images via Getty Images) (Niall Carson/PA Images via Getty Images)
"As with the cancelation of the Father Ted musical by @hattrickprod, there no explanation as to what views The Leith Arches find offensive. That women deserve single sex spaces and fairness in their sports? That children shouldn't be mutilated and sterilised? That JK Rowling shouldn't receive death and rape threats? Could I have some details?" he asked. "[B]ecause it sure sounds like discrimination on the grounds of my legally protected beliefs."
During an interview with Julia Hartley-Brewer on TalkTV, Linehan suggested that "the only good thing" about this was that "it’s drawing more attention to the fact that essentially a group of highly ideological cultists have taken over institutions across society."
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The Leith Arches venue has not yet responded to inquiry from Fox News Digital about the cancelation of the Comedy Unleashed event.
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