Thread by @BuildingOrderFC

I've been planning to write a thread showing the bullying and general nastiness that Graham Linehan (aka Glinner) engages in on twitter, and his seemingly permanent ban makes it more topical today. 1/28

To an extent I admire JK Rowling for speaking out. She has a political view which 87% of London women disagree with and is broadly unpopular, but rather than take a 'Republicans buy sneakers too' approach, she's stood up for what she believes in. 2/28

The difference is Glinner's approach - bullying, unfounded allegations, misogyny and arguably homophobia as well.
While I'm pro trans rights and he's 'gender critical', my focus will be on his behaviour. Gender critical people should also welcome his ban. 3/28

In Glinner’s words, he was suspended because of his arguments that “gender ideology is a form of societal grooming” – drawing a comparison between transpeople and trans allies and predators who seduce young and vulnerable people. Let’s take a look at how this belief plays out. 4

In this cartoon, a mother is shown being supportive of her trans child wearing a binder for the first time. Even if your beliefs are gender critical, it’s a stretch to call this ‘grooming’. 5/28

In this recent tweet, Glinner accuses Marks and Spencers of grooming – I think for allowing trans people to change in the changing room of their choice. While these examples are harmless, it’s not always the case. 6/28

In this tweet, Glinner randomly accuses a random person of grooming. I think this is the entirety of the thread – sexual predation is a serious allegation to make to his audience of almost 600k without specific evidence. 7/28

Sometime around March, Glinner accuses a Queer Studies professor of grooming because she states that one-to-one meetings with her adult students is an important part of the teaching process. Imagine the damage this kind of libel can have on a person’s reputation. 8/28

Of course grooming is a serious issue, which should be opposed when there’s evidence. But Glinner’s actions seem more like those of Tommy Robinson – who claims without evidence that Muslims rape more often. 9/28

When ‘Naomi’ asked Glinner for evidence that gender self identification puts women at risk, this was his response.
Glinner will often claim that he’s standing up for women…by telling them to shut up and fvck off.
10/28

When the lesbian musician Grace Petrie stood up for transpeople, Glinner accused her of betraying women.

Obviously not all women have the same views, so it’s very patronising to talk down to a specific woman while claiming to represent women as a whole.
11/28

Glinner has a history of harassing people with smaller numbers of followers than he has. With an audience of over half a million people he has the ability to shape and guide the nature of the trans debate on twitter. He chooses to take the low road.
12/28

Here is an example of the kind of comments Glinner inspires when he mocks the comedian Mae Martin for identifying as non-binary.

Here Glinner tells the comedian Josie Long that she is also doing feminism wrong.
14/28

The same with Anita Sarkeesian. Bonus points for the implication that because Glinner was an ally during Gamergate, Sarkeesian has a duty to repay him, regardless of what she personally thinks about transpeople.
15/28

Here Glinner instructs his followers to “keep it up” when a pro-trans tweeter says that the intensity of the debate is too much for her. He’s very much aware of what he’s doing – using the raw force of his platform to grind his opponents into submission.
16/28

Personally, I try to avoid gendered insults. Glinner, the expert on how to do feminism right, knows better.
17/28

Here is Glinner pulling a face.
18/28

Here Glinner draws a comparison between a transwoman and paedophile priests. 19/28

Here Glinner accuses abortion campaigners of “male-pandering sh…” for putting out a tweet in support of trans rights.
20/28

Magdalen Burns was an influential gender critical campaigner. Her partner has asked Glinner not to share private information, a request he has ignored.
21/28

In addition to the nastiness, Glinner frequently shares personal information, and gets his facts wrong. Here the two cancel each other out - he incorrectly asserts that Ann Coates, a cisgender woman and trans ally, is transgender and attended a boys’ school. 22/28

One common criticism of Glinner that appears unfair is that he compared transpeople to Nazis. He says this came from a podcast discussion where he used the comparison of living in Nazi Germany as a metaphor for standing up against a popular but dangerous ideology.
23/28

In that context you would hope he’d respect Daniel Radcliffe’s decision to take a stand when Rowling made her anti-trans statement. Glinner called him ‘traitorous’, implying that he should oppose trans rights out of loyalty. 24/28

In October 2018 Glinner received a formal harassment warning for his behaviour towards a transwoman. This week she announced her intent to sue him, and that his behaviour has continued after the warning. 25/28

news.sky.com/story/father-t…

When called on his behaviour Glinner deflects.
G: “…are glad that I’m amplifying their voices.”
Sarah Smith: “And amplifying the toxicity of the debate.”
G: “No, no, no, these women are not toxic.”
SS: “… I’m saying it’s your comparisons that are toxic.”

Within the last year Glinner has divorced, and his former brother-in-law has indicated that his family are worried about him.
27/28

TLDR – Glinner may have started from a positive place, but he’s lashing out, bullying, libelling and making unsubstantiated claims. His suspension is good for everyone, including the cause he tries to fight for, and his own mental health.
28/28