A free speech campaigner says a Stormont committee chair displayed “aggressive intolerance” to TUV man Timothy Gaston, after she branded his view of biological sex “gratuitously offensive” after objecting to his language on trans issues.

The latest reprimand for the North Antrim MLA came after Paula Bradshaw last week warned him “watch your language” because he had referred to the idea of “a man claiming or thinking that he is a woman”.

Wednesday’s meeting of the Executive Office committee saw further tension between Ms Bradshaw and Mr Gaston. The TUV MLA had urged the committee chair not to curtail his questioning of guests and requested additional time “before you cut in, like you did on me last week”.

The chair immediately interjected, saying “Excuse me please. I am in the chair. I’ll decide how long people get to ask questions and if I think you’re being gratuitously offensive to sections of society I will cut in – and I reserve that right. Proceed”. Mr Gaston said: “As long as you’re not trying to censor me chair” to which Ms Bradshaw said: “Proceed. Proceed”.

placeholder image — The chair of Stormont's Executive Office committee Paula Bradshaw has labelled remarks from TUV MLA Timothy Gaston, where he referenced men who think they are women, as "gratuitously offensive".

Toby Young, Director of the Free Speech Union. told the News Letter that the “aggressive intolerance shown towards Timothy Gaston by Paula Bradshaw is typical of those who’ve been captured by gender ideology. Rather than acknowledge there can be a genuine conflict of rights between women and trans people – over whether transwomen should be able to compete against biological women in the Olympics, for instance – Ms Bradshaw appears to believe that trans rights should in all circumstances take priority and anyone who thinks otherwise, like Mr Gaston, is a bigot.

“My worry is that the Alliance Party will try to embed this one-sided view in the criminal law, whereby anyone questioning whether a transwoman is a woman will be prosecuted for hate speech. That’s one reason the Free Speech Union has set up a Northern Ireland Advisory Council. Those of us who believe in free speech need to push back against any attempt to punish people who dissent from radical progressive ideology.“

At last week’s committee Mr Gaston had asked if the Equality Commission recognised “the conflict between the rights of a woman, and a biological man claiming or thinking that he is a woman”.

Ms Bradshaw interjected: "Can you, can you watch your language, please? Thank you."