Graham Linehan was a well-known, well-liked, successful TV writer, living his dream in a career he loved and worked hard at. Speaking up in defense of women's rights and spaces changed all that, almost in an instant.
In 2018, gender identity ideology took over, seemingly out of nowhere. Graham felt his response to this extreme shift in law and culture was not just reasonable, but obvious: women's spaces matter, kids should not be put on hormones or have their bodies mutilated, men are not women... He saw trans activism as dangerous and explained why. But nothing he said mattered. The moment Graham was labelled a TERF, he became persona non grata. He lost his career, his friends, his Twitter account, his mental health, and his marriage.
Still, he didn't back down or give up the fight.
In 2023,
published his memoir. Tough Crowd tells the story of how he started out in music writing, moving into comedy and television, then how it all was taken from him.I spoke with him about what happened, how it impacted him, and whether or not Taylor Swift really deserves the fandom she has acquired.
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Graham Linehan went from beloved TV writer to hated TERF in a moment, and it ruined his life