Charity drops choir from London Marathon over founder's gender-critical views

TL;DR

The Singing Striders choir has been dropped from the London Marathon by charity Scope due to founder Janet Murray's gender-critical views. The charity stated that all participants must reflect a commitment to equality and inclusion.

Key points

Singing Striders choir dropped from London Marathon
Decision made by charity Scope
Concerns over founder's gender-critical views
Scope emphasizes commitment to equality and inclusion
Choir had performed at the event for two years

Mentioned in this story

ScopeJanet Murray

Singing Striders

A choir has been told by a disability charity that it will not be welcome at Sunday's London Marathon because its founder holds gender-critical views.

The Singing Striders have performed at the event on behalf of Scope for the past two years and were booked again for this Sunday.

On Tuesday, choir founder Janet Murray received an email from the charity telling her it no longer wished to have the Singing Striders perform at the marathon.

The email, seen by the BBC, said it was because of "concerns raised" and that everyone involved in Scope events needs to reflect their "commitment to equality and inclusion".

Scope told the BBC that it "didn't feel it appropriate" for Murray to represent the charity.

As a journalist, Murray has written extensively on transgender issues, but says she has never brought her views to the choir or to the London Marathon.

"I don't believe that human beings can change sex, and I believe that women's spaces and sports should be just for biological women," said Murray.

"They've looked at my personal social media and seen that I've been reporting on girl guiding and the Women's Institute - looking specifically at changes in the rules around boys and males not being allowed to take part, so I do feel [the charity's decision] is based on that."

Scope chief executive John McLachlan, in a statement to the BBC, said: "We understand and respect the right for people to hold differing views about gender and inclusion.

"However, the way these views are communicated matters, especially when they alienate others.

"As such, we didn't feel it appropriate for her [Janet Murray] to volunteer to represent Scope."

The LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall has been contacted for comment.

A woman with a tiger face mask on smiles and sings at a charity event

Image source, Janet Murray

Image caption,

Janet Murray says she and her choir have been stopped from singing at the London Marathon because of her gender-critical views

Murray says she had a phone call with McLachlan, who she claims said there had been two anonymous complaints made against her.

"He told me, as I suspected, it was to do with my beliefs on sex and gender, and he said that my presence would be a distraction," she added.

"I tried to ask what he meant by that. Was he worried that I was going to shout something out, or bring a banner? But that didn't seem to be the case.

Q&A

Why was the Singing Striders choir dropped from the London Marathon?

The choir was dropped due to concerns over founder Janet Murray's gender-critical views, which the charity felt did not align with their commitment to equality and inclusion.

What is the role of Scope in the London Marathon?

Scope is a disability charity that has previously collaborated with the Singing Striders choir at the London Marathon, where the choir performed on behalf of the charity.

How long has the Singing Striders choir been performing at the London Marathon?

The Singing Striders have performed at the London Marathon for the past two years before being dropped this year.

What did Scope say about their decision to drop the choir?

Scope stated that it did not feel it appropriate for Janet Murray to represent the charity, emphasizing the need for all involved to reflect their commitment to equality and inclusion.