Statement

Update regarding Joanna Cherry’s participation in The Stand’s Edinburgh Fringe programme

01/055/2023 by The Stand Comedy Club

Further to our previous policy statement on this matter (see below), following extensive discussions with our staff it has become clear that a number of The Stand’s key operational staff, including venue management and box office personnel, are unwilling to work on this event.

As we have previously stated, we will ensure that their views are respected. We will not compel our staff to work on this event and so have concluded that the event is unable to proceed on a properly staffed, safe and legally compliant basis. 

We advised the show producers, Fair Pley Productions, of this operational issue and they advised Joanna Cherry that it is no longer possible to host the event in our venue.

See below the initial statement, made by the board of directors, on April 13 2023.

Initial statement regarding Joanna Cherry’s participation in The Stand’s Edinburgh Fringe programme

The following statement was made by the board of directors at The Stand Comedy Club on April 13 2023. Please scroll up for the latest update.

We are aware of a number of concerns being raised regarding the In Conversation With Joanna Cherry event that is scheduled as part of our Edinburgh Fringe programme in August 2023. We wish to make the following comments in response:

This event is part of a series. The In Conversation With … strand is not booked directly by The Stand. It is produced by independent Glasgow-based producer Fair Pley. For more information on them and the nature of the In Conversation With programme, please click here.

As a company we oppose any form of discrimination, including against people on the basis of their gender identity.

The Stand does not endorse or support the views expressed by any participant in this series and it is wrong for others to imply that we do.

Whilst we may disagree with a particular viewpoint, we believe that people should have the right to express views that others might find controversial or strongly disagree with, providing this is done within the law and does not violate our code of conduct.

This event is open to all and will include questions from the public on any issues that might be raised. This was not specifically intended to be an event focussed on gender recognition or the rights of trans people.


Joanna Cherry is the MP for Edinburgh Southwest and the chair of the UK Parliament's Human Rights Committee. Her invite to participate in this event is due to her wide ranging political and public role.

Some of our staff have expressed their concerns about Ms Cherry's views and said that they do not wish to be involved in promoting or staging this show - we will ensure that their views are respected.

The Board of Directors of Salt ‘n’ Sauce Promotions Ltd. (The Stand Comedy Club)

13/4/23