The cancelling of Ian Banham is an attack on freedom of speech.

A message from The Countess

The cancelling of Ian Banham is an attack on freedom of speech

The censorship of free speech in the name of “unity and kindness” by the band Wild Youth reflects a section of society that has abandoned truth and material reality.

The CEO and Founder of The Countess, Laoise De Brún BL, said “When JK Rowling rightly called out the cancellation of a man who was standing up for truth, material reality and women, especially rape victims, an Irish daytime TV presenter called the ensuing conversation, ‘Nothing but abuse by this hateful, hateful community online’.”

Framing of genuine concerns about Self ID as hate is not helpful.

Choreographer Ian Banham commented under a tweet expressing concern that a previously convicted rapist, who was jailed after stabbing and tying up his latest victim, might be housed in the women’s estate. Banham’s comment read: ‘Exactly! it’s a MAN! This clown world is ridiculous.’ He also commented similarly on a tweet by a person who identifies as a hawk, and another one commenting on Tiktoker Dylan Mulvaney. The band Wild Youth, with whom he was engaged as creative director for their Eurovision bid, then announced that they had cut ties with Banham, stating “We are sorry for anyone offended by his comments.”

De Brún added, “We have recently learned via the incredible journalism of Paddy O’Gorman that men are now accessing female hostels, where one man punched a woman in a fight, lifting her off her feet and across the room. But those who call our concerns “hate” won’t ever have to deal with him, or rape threats from Barbie Kardashian, as female prison guards in Limerick do.”

De Brún said that the ongoing issues with the Gender Recognition Act 2015, which allows for self-identification into the opposite sex without any checks or balances, has allowed violent men who have committed sexual offences, such as Barbie Kardashian and another man who is a convicted paedophile, to gain access to the women’s wing of Limerick prison. Paddy O’Gorman previously spoke to women who had been housed in Limerick with these men, and more recently he has documented how this issue has now extended to other facilities such as hostels where vulnerable women are housed.

De Brún stated “The recent report that Simon Harris does not plan to separate prisons by sex (as outlined in the Prison Rules 2007) is extremely concerning. The Countess are calling on the government to protect female prisoners and to ensure prisons are single sex and that males and females are fully segregated.”

The attempt by the RTÉ and other media outlets to frame the Twitter comments by Ian Banham and the response by the band Wild Youth as a ‘culture war’ are designed to distract from the fact that Ireland’s Eurovision entry for 2023 consists of four males who do not believe in freedom of speech or in safety and fairness for vulnerable women. The decision to have them on the Late Late Show this Friday is deeply
concerning and The Countess calls on RTÉ to take a neutral stance and also invite an opposing voice on in the interests of balance.

The Countess Advocacy CLG (The Countess) is a group of progressive women
and men from all walks of life including doctors, lawyers, and students.
We are volunteer-led, self-funded and not affiliated with any political
party or religion. We are apolitical and non-partisan. We are not
anti-trans but we do believe that most reasonable people agree with the
obvious issues in allowing men to identify into female spaces, sports,
and services.