‘We will not tolerate abuse’: Council restricts social media responses after ‘insulting’ comments

Tuesday, 15 July 2025 12:32

By Chris Gee

A council deleted – and later restricted – comments on a social media post marking non binary persons’ day after it said ‘insulting’ responses were made.

Bury council shared a post on Monday, July 14 about the day, celebrating people who ‘feel their gender identity cannot be defined within the margins
of the binary female and male genders’.

The post attracted several responses, many of which were deleted, with town hall bosses later saying ‘we will not tolerate abuse on this platform’ and stating there were ‘a number of insulting comments’.

The council urged those responding to ‘keep the conversation civil’. International Non Binary Persons Day takes place each year on July 14.

The original council post, said: “July is chosen to celebrate non binary identities as this is exactly half way between International Women’s Day and International Men’s Day.

“The term non binary can act as a standalone identity but also as an umbrella term for identities that don’t match the binary of male and female such as
genderfluid and genderqueer. “It can also include people who are agender, which describes someone without any gender identity.

“Non binary people can also identify as transgender as their gender identity does not match the gender they were assigned at birth.”

On Tuesday at 11am the post had attracted 92 likes and six shares on Facebook, however, all but three of the 34 comments had been removed.

A spokesman for Bury council explained why it had taken the action.

He said: “Unfortunately, due to a number of insulting comments on this item when it was first posted, we are now restricting comments on this post.

“We want everyone to feel welcome in our community, and on our social media channels, and we will not tolerate abuse on this platform.

“People may have different views, but let’s keep the conversation civil.”

One of the comments which still remains on the post, said: “Genuine question for all of the angry people in the comments section.

“Why does this bother you so much? Your lives are not impacted at all by non-binary people existing.”

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