Graham Linehan was permanently banned from Twitter after a sustained anti-trans crusade. (Rob Monk/Edge Magazine/Getty)
Graham Linehan, who was removed from Twitter for hateful conduct, returned to the platform by pretending to be a trans person.
Graham Linehan was been permanently banned from Twitter in June this year for repeatedly violating the social media platform’s rules against hateful conduct.
The former comedy writer and anti-trans campaigner lost his ‘blue tick’ after he accused an LGBT+ group of “grooming”.
It was later reinstated, but Twitter opted to take permanent action after he continued tweeting offensive content, writing “men aren’t women tho” in response to a Women’s Institute post wishing a happy Pride to all of their transgender members.
Now, Linehan has made his way back to Twitter by making a fake “trans guy” account seemingly for the sole purpose of telling a gay man that he is a “traitor” for supporting trans rights.
On 20 November, Trans Day of Remembrance, Amnesty Ireland and and its executive director Colm O’Gorman signed an open letter published by Transgender Network Ireland in GCN supporting the trans community.
But, according to Linehan, his support of trans rights made O’Gorman a “traitor to women and gay people”.
Tweeting under the handle “scarlysimon”, Linehan wrote in his Twitter bio: “Fun trans guy, or maybe Graham Linehan. It’s almost like people can lie about their identity on here!”
Attacking O’Gorman for signing the letter, Linehan told him: “Hi, Colm, this is actually Graham Linehan… You’re a traitor to women, gay people and yourself. Worth losing the account to say this.”
Lose the account he did, as “scarlysimon” was suspended just over an hour later.
Responding, O’Gorman wrote: “So there we have it, a man so virulent in his anti-trans stance that he got banned from Twitter sets up a false account posing as a trans man. Par for the course.
“Honestly, if it wasn’t so toxic and damaging, it would be almost funny. In a sad sort of way.”
So there we have it, a man so virulent in his anti-trans stance that he got banned from @Twitter sets up a false account posing as a trans man. Par for the course. Honestly, if it wasn’t so toxic and damaging, it would be almost funny. In a sad sort of way. pic.twitter.com/W1HSQi13wM
— Colm O’Gorman (@Colmogorman) December 1, 2020
Twitter users slammed Linehan for his “pathetic” behaviour, with one simply asking: “What is wrong with you, Graham?”
linehan really is pathetic. https://t.co/tu17OusXhr
— Stuart Luff (@FrozenLuffy) December 1, 2020
Another wrote: “Guess this is what happens when you can’t get any work in writing TV.”