Father Ted creator Graham Linehan joins 'Posie Parker' for rally against transgender activism in Belfast on Sunday

The rally is titled “Let Women Speak” and has been planned for several weeks, with ‘Posie Parker’ (real name Kellie-Jay Keen) expected to address attendees on the subject of trans activists’ efforts to “redefine not only what it means to be a woman, but the very fabric of womanhood”.

Mr Linehan is one of the best-known comedy writers in the British Isles, having worked on scripts for Father Ted, The IT Crowd, The Day Today, Brass Eye, Black Books, and Motherland.

In recent times, he has become known for his sharp criticism of the spread of transgender ideology.

It is not clear if he will be speaking at the rally, or merely present as a supporter.

Ms Parker has been on a long-running world tour, and a recent appearance in New Zealand was met with a near-riot.

Trans activists turned up at that rally opposing her presence. Meanwhile right-wingers turned up and performed a Seig Heil salute.

She is frequently described by journalists and activists as an “anti-transgender campaigner”; her supporters and media sources like The Spectator and Daily Mail have described her as a “women’s rights campaigner”.

In a statement Mandy McGoldrick of the group Standing For Women NI said their movement is “challenging the erosion of women’s rights, the invasion of safe spaces for women, the protection of women’s sports and speaking up against the abuse of children not able to defend themselves”.

The News Letter has repeatedly sought an interview with Posie Parker, but at time of writing these requests had gone unanswered.

Instead a statement in her name was released saying: “Women in Northern Ireland have fought long and hard for their rights and freedoms and done so against a backdrop of violence, intimidation and extreme pressure.

“I admire the resilience of the women of Northern Ireland and I know they will fight long and hard against the tyranny of the movement that seeks to redefine not only what it means to be a woman but the very fabric of womanhood.

“Women from all over Ireland and Northern Ireland will take to the microphone to reclaim their voice, to show they will not be silenced and to make it clear they will not allow their womanhood to be redefined, eroded or extinguished.

“It is an open mic and anyone who feels passionate will be invited to speak.”

She came to prominence in 2018 when she paid £700 to have a billboard put up in Liverpool, where the Labour Party conference was happening, which bore a standard dictionary definition of the word “woman”.

It read simply: “Woman, noun, adult human female" (still a definition used by the Oxford English Dictionary).

It was removed after trans activists complained it was the product of a campaign of “hate”.

The billboard had been a response to the spread of trans activists’ central credo: that the terms “man” and “woman” have no objective definition.

Instead, these activists argue, anyone who says they are a man is a man, and anyone who says they are a woman is a woman, regardless of upbringing, legal status, or biology – an assertion which has been widely adopted in the corporate world, public sector, and academia, in the last few years.

The rally is taking place at The Salmon of Knowledge (aka the Big Fish) by the River Lagan footbridge at Donegal Quay from 1pm to 3pm.

More from this reporter:

• Politicians praise new Scottish gender-switch law and call for Northern Ireland to mimic it

• Publicly funded NI groups spring to defence of vitriolic anti-police transgender activist

• Activists claim NI has as many transgender people as ethnic minorities

• Two feminist rallies in Belfast illustrate split in movement over transgenderism

• DUP says council must 'be mindful' of public spending when it comes to idea of a new and bigger LGBTQQIA+ centre in Belfast

• Transgenderism: Major Irish teaching union under fire from Jordan Peterson over video encouraging teachers to help pupils switch gender - watch the video and judge for yourself