Graham Linehan is a multiple BAFTA winning Irish comedy writer best known for his popular TV sitcoms Father Ted and The IT Crowd. Around six years ago he was cancelled for the mortal sin of criticising trans activism. He was banned on Twitter/X for a while, and lost work contracts, friends, and eventually his marriage.
Meeting him out here on his tour was such a privilege. He was just the nicest guy. Father Ted is my all time favourite sitcom, ever since I lived in Ireland in the mid-nineties when it was first on TV. Great work as always, Rebekah. I appreciate everything you do.
Thanks Craig, I found him very warm in person too. He seems very soft hearted, which is maybe why he can be so aggressive towards perceived injustice and some of the worst trans activists. Sensitive people sometimes have the biggest reactions.
It saddens me so to read about people like Graham standing up and losing so much. But very proud, also. That instinct to stand up - what a beautiful thing ❤️
Why must it be "Trans women are women" rather than "Trans women should be treated as women?" Don't people feel the coercion in the framing? I feel like lots of people who cannot accept the first premise could accept the second. But where's the mind-mincing in that?
I do suspect that there's a slow dawning going on in many many people that we've been taken for a ride but they're unwilling to say anything out of fear, or because they're traumatised, or out of a stupid desire to continue appearing solidly progressive to fellow supporters of their particular flaccid political party and popular on platforms that are mincing their brains for bucks. To be fair, it's pretty wild for westerners to have their own society turn on them to mine them for capital. We were comfy for a long time while profiting was coming via raping non-western countries' resources and forcing them into the system with unpayable IMF loans. Now it's us. I do wonder if the shoe will drop in time for people to come together and stop full-blown totalitarianism with trans figureheads everywhere telling people to stop believing their own senses but not feeling too confident yet :(
I will never accept the 'counter argument' that trans women are women. They're not, and the fact that some of them cannot accept that women feel uncomfortable with males in female spaces perfectly illustrates that. Only women truly understand that feeling, in my opinion.
A really wonderful interview. Thank you for sharing. I think many of us (your followers) have experienced what it's like to lose friends over differing opinions on Covid measures. However, it must be a whole other level to go through that as a public figure. I really don't understand why there is so much intolerance now for differing opinions.
As is so often the case, I agree with all of that Laine! I would add, I am concerned that many young people who are opting for gender transition (socially, hormonally, surgically) are not necessarily getting any closer to their 'authentic selves.' In some cases (Buck Angel for example) people seem to be happier living as the opposite sex to the one that they are, but I don't think that's not the case in the main. Partly because I have seen research suggesting that after an initial high, in the medium to long term, people who opt for these procedures are on balance unhappy. And partly because I think in our culture we medicalise/pathologise emotional and spiritual distress. And the answer to emotional and spiritual distress is almost never a medical solution.
Meeting him out here on his tour was such a privilege. He was just the nicest guy. Father Ted is my all time favourite sitcom, ever since I lived in Ireland in the mid-nineties when it was first on TV. Great work as always, Rebekah. I appreciate everything you do.
Thanks Craig, I found him very warm in person too. He seems very soft hearted, which is maybe why he can be so aggressive towards perceived injustice and some of the worst trans activists. Sensitive people sometimes have the biggest reactions.
Agreed. Soft hearted but tough as nails.
It saddens me so to read about people like Graham standing up and losing so much. But very proud, also. That instinct to stand up - what a beautiful thing ❤️
Why must it be "Trans women are women" rather than "Trans women should be treated as women?" Don't people feel the coercion in the framing? I feel like lots of people who cannot accept the first premise could accept the second. But where's the mind-mincing in that?
I do suspect that there's a slow dawning going on in many many people that we've been taken for a ride but they're unwilling to say anything out of fear, or because they're traumatised, or out of a stupid desire to continue appearing solidly progressive to fellow supporters of their particular flaccid political party and popular on platforms that are mincing their brains for bucks. To be fair, it's pretty wild for westerners to have their own society turn on them to mine them for capital. We were comfy for a long time while profiting was coming via raping non-western countries' resources and forcing them into the system with unpayable IMF loans. Now it's us. I do wonder if the shoe will drop in time for people to come together and stop full-blown totalitarianism with trans figureheads everywhere telling people to stop believing their own senses but not feeling too confident yet :(
Good point about turning the mining inwards. Scary. On changing perceptions, I read this this morning, seems relevant. https://boriquagato.substack.com/p/perception-bias-creating-conflict
Great interview Rebekah. I'm a big fan of Graham!
I will never accept the 'counter argument' that trans women are women. They're not, and the fact that some of them cannot accept that women feel uncomfortable with males in female spaces perfectly illustrates that. Only women truly understand that feeling, in my opinion.
interesting interview 🙏 for sharing
A really wonderful interview. Thank you for sharing. I think many of us (your followers) have experienced what it's like to lose friends over differing opinions on Covid measures. However, it must be a whole other level to go through that as a public figure. I really don't understand why there is so much intolerance now for differing opinions.
And I think the more intolerance one encounters, the more it can create a reactionary intolerance too.
As is so often the case, I agree with all of that Laine! I would add, I am concerned that many young people who are opting for gender transition (socially, hormonally, surgically) are not necessarily getting any closer to their 'authentic selves.' In some cases (Buck Angel for example) people seem to be happier living as the opposite sex to the one that they are, but I don't think that's not the case in the main. Partly because I have seen research suggesting that after an initial high, in the medium to long term, people who opt for these procedures are on balance unhappy. And partly because I think in our culture we medicalise/pathologise emotional and spiritual distress. And the answer to emotional and spiritual distress is almost never a medical solution.