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Motion · S6M-08842 · 4 May 2023

Defying the "No Ladies" Sign in 1973

Lodged by Mercedes Villalba Standard Motion 19 supporters

The motion

That the Parliament recognises a significant event in the fight for equality for women, which took place 50 years ago when female delegates from the Scottish Trades Union Congress defied a "No ladies" sign and entered The Grill Bar, in Aberdeen; understands that, led by 22-year-old trade unionist, Jacquie Blair, the women, who had been attending the Scottish Trades Union Congress across the road, protested their right to be served and when police were called, refused to leave until they had finished their drinks; notes that the event, commemorated in the short-film, No Ladies Please, which premiered in the Belmont Filmhouse in September 2019, made national headlines at the time and marked an historic moment for Aberdeen and women’s equality in Scotland; acknowledges that a plaque commemorating the event was unveiled at The Grill Bar on the city’s Union Street in April 2023, and notes that the event took place two years before the UK Parliament passed the Sex Discrimination Act 1975, which revoked the barring of women from pubs.

Supporters (19)

Source: the Scottish Parliament motions and amendments record.