Man who was due to speak at International Women's Day event pulls out amid hail of criticism of the move

​Billy Dixon had been due to speak at an event organised by Newry Mourne and Down District Council on Friday, March 8.

His appearance has now been cancelled.

The BBC had quoted objections from Newry SDLP councillor Doire Finn – among many others – to “the exclusion of a woman from the position of giving that keynote speech".

Mr Dixon’s profile on the website LinkedIn describes him as “a speaker, personal brand consultant [and] ambassador for Invisible Traffick (anti-human trafficking charity)”.

He “provides a bespoke and confidential service for individuals and teams who want to improve their performance, and maximize their potential” and says “his clients include heads of state, corporations, national sports teams and members of the public”.

Alongside a picture of the bearded Mr Dixon, his profile also notes that he uses the pronouns “he / him” indicating that he is a man (a phrase which people commonly add to show affinity with the transgender movement).

In a similar vein, last year the News Letter was alone in reporting how Benadette McAliskey / Devlin – founder of the INLA’s political wing – had used a speech for International Women’s Day to voice her support for transgenderism, telling the audience there is no definition of what a “woman” is.

It is not for anyone “to tell somebody else they are not a woman if that person says that they are,” she said, to applause.

"It’s not on. This is simple logic.”