Over the last few years Graham Linehan the TV writer behind Father Ted and The IT Crowd- has established a reputation for himself for having a problematic attitude when it comes to the transgender community.

Recently it has exploded into the mainstream after he pinned a tweet to his profile insisting he is not transphobic. 

The internet duly went to town on him producing tweets which he had either authored or liked going back years which insult and demean trans people and their lived experience.

When you have positioned yourself as the “wokest of woke” men, this is obviously not a good look for a straight, white middle class and middle aged man. His twitter account is unusually preoccupied with trans issues and how they intersect with what he regards as “traditional feminism”.

And your daily reminder that Graham Linehan actually follows this particularly nasty specimen of a man.
Terfs enable these men to think their prejudice has a justifiable basis in feminism when it doesn’t. #terfisnotaslur pic.twitter.com/62wr2R9A0c

— And we thought Cromwell was dead… (@CChinneide) June 10, 2018

He received kudos for his pseudo-right-on-ness thanks to the repeal movement and gamergate and he clearly enjoys his praise. Quite how he managed to throw his hat in with the TERFS is anybody’s guess.

Most of his statements are very much rooted in the TERF traditions: Trans people are not real women, they want to co-opt feminism from “real” women, they’re into self mutilation.

As he recommended, here's Graham Linehan's tweets comparing people who undertake gender affirming surgery to Cronenberg-ian monsters. pic.twitter.com/EqIHEQZMhn

— Leoman of the Fails (@mattbcooper) June 7, 2018

He’s called hormone therapy pseudoscience and when asked if thinks trans women are women he answered: “No you useless woke version of religious police,” before going onto describe the trans rights movement as a movement rooted in misogyny. 

In one particularly odious exchange a follower explains to him that her teenager is male to female trans and a huge fan of the IT crowd.

Graham Linehan insists he's not transphobic and doesn't tell people what gender they should be, but here's him talking about a trans masculine person having gender affirming surgery pic.twitter.com/FrtDuPqty5

— ?? (@timidheathen) June 14, 2018

As a parent she says all she wants is a caring society where they’re safe. Linehan responds to her saying that is what all parents wants and then adds, “I’m glad he’s happy and well.” Yeah I know, dick move!

You bastard, you scum of the fucking earth pic.twitter.com/MtPcAPZ4qm

— keewa.bsky.social ?? (@keewa) June 13, 2018

He’s the “woke” guy virtue signalling to everybody how but scratch the surface and the real him emerges.

Anybody who plays a very high profile in a campaign designed to allow women greater autonomy over their bodies while at the same time is having a meltdown when trans people exercise their own autonomy is, internally inconsistent at best and at worst completely transphobic.

What makes his transphobia worse is that it comes from within tent. If this was a Tory some other traditional enemy you’d shrug your shoulders and go Tories are gonna Tory, but this is from a guy who should be our side.

Having spent the day pouring over his social media accounts and online output the real sense of him is as a smug know-it-all with an overriding sense of superiority.

He has no interest in expanding people’s rights of our understanding of complex topics. He’s Mr Right On, challenge him at your peril.

If you were affected by any of the issues highlighted in this article you can reach out to the following:

LGBT Helpline

T: 1890 929 539 | W: www.lgbt.ie

TENI Helpline (Transgender Support)

T: 085 147 7166 | W: www.teni.ie

Gay Switchboard

T: 01-872 1055 | W: www.gayswitchbaord.ie