Sandi Toksvig has prompted an outpouring of support for expressing her anger at anti-trans people in politics and the media.
The former Great British Bake Offpresenter said: āI am so distressed by people who call themselves āradical feministsā but are anti-trans. I could weep. I donāt get it. Itās beyond me.
āWhen the feminist movement started in the 60s and 70s, lesbians were often excluded, because we were told that we would make the movement less palatable. I have been excluded myself, so how could I do that to someone else? It fills me with rage.ā
Toksvig was speaking in an interview with The i newspaper to promote an upcoming performance with the London Gay Menās Chorus.
A vocal LGBT+ rights campaigner for decades, Toksvig was one of Britainās most visible lesbian women when she came out publicly in 1994.
She also founded the Womenās Equality Party in 2015 and is working on a campaign to remove unelected Church of England bishops from the House of Lords because of its opposition to same-sex marriage.
She said: āItās shocking. They donāt deal with gay people or women in an equitable manner. And they arenāt some sort of obscure organisation ā this is our state church.
āNone of them have been elected. This is our parliament and itās not OK. Be a bigot if you want to, in your own back yard ā but donāt come and play in mine.ā
Responding to Toksvigās comments on social media, people immediately jumped to the TV stalwartās side.
Broadcaster India Willoughby wrote: āNow hereās a classy lady. Graham Linehan [the screenwriter and prominent anti-trans campaigner] will be along shortly to tell Sandi sheās not a real feminist.ā
Another person said: āSandi had such an impact on me when I was growing up and watching number 73 [a 1980s British TV show].
āIād never seen another woman like her and being a non conforming teenage lesbian who didnāt understand herself or her sexuality, Sandi was pivotal in helping me figure it all out.ā
And a third added: āSheās fabulous isnāt she.ā
As for Toksvig, she promised to go on campaigning.
She said: āIāve been an activist all of my life. Itās a core part of who I am. Weāre here, weāre making noise ā and weāre not going away.ā
link: https://www.indy100.com/identities/sandi-toksvig-trans-lqbt
Is that true about Graham Linehan? This will soil any future watching of IT Crowd, Black Books, and Father Ted for me.
100% true. He went deep into the anti-trans rabbit hole a number of years ago.
Unfortunately yes. Completely off his rocker. I just envision him as father Jack sitting drunkenly in his chair cursing āTraannnnsā every once a while.
Profoundly funny and completely mad arenāt too far apart, sadly.
Oh, you didnāt know? He basically went off the deep end after people criticised an episode of the IT Crowd that glorified violence against trans women.
He literally does nothing these days but post transphobic bullshit on Twitter, which is why his wife left him and took the kids (lol)