Editing Graham Linehan (section)

=== Twitter ban and evasions ===
On 27 June 2020, Linehan's Twitter account was [[Twitter suspensions|permanently suspended]] after what Twitter called "repeated violations of our rules against hateful conduct and platform manipulation".<ref name="The Guardian">{{Cite news |last=Blackall |first=Molly |date=27 June 2020 |title=Twitter closes Graham Linehan account after trans comment |work=[[The Guardian]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2020/jun/27/twitter-closes-graham-linehan-account-after-trans-comment |url-status=live |access-date=27 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200627111754/https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2020/jun/27/twitter-closes-graham-linehan-account-after-trans-comment |archive-date=27 June 2020}}</ref> In December, Linehan evaded the suspension with an account posing as a transgender man. He used the account to call [[Colm O'Gorman]] "a traitor to women, gay people and yourself" for signing an open letter published by the [[Transgender Equality Network of Ireland]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wakefield |first=Lily |date=1 December 2020 |title=Disgraced comedy writer Graham Linehan, booted from Twitter for hateful conduct, returns with fake 'trans guy' account |url=https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2020/12/01/graham-linehan-twitter-scarlysimon-trans-rights-sock-account-colm-ogorman/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201201214854/https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2020/12/01/graham-linehan-twitter-scarlysimon-trans-rights-sock-account-colm-ogorman/ |archive-date=1 December 2020 |access-date=2 December 2020 |website=[[PinkNews]]}}</ref> The account was banned but Linehan said he had created another.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wakefield |first=Lily |date=3 December 2020 |title=Disgraced comedy writer Graham Linehan boasts he's back on Twitter with a 'new sim card' after being kicked off for a second time |url=https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2020/12/03/graham-linehan-twitter-new-account-transphobia-sim-card-ban-hateful-conduct/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201207191553/https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2020/12/03/graham-linehan-twitter-new-account-transphobia-sim-card-ban-hateful-conduct/ |archive-date=7 December 2020 |access-date=6 December 2020 |website=[[PinkNews]]}}</ref>

In February 2021, Linehan created a fake account on the lesbian dating app [[Her (dating app)|Her]] and publicly posted screenshots of [[non-binary people]] and trans women using it. The developers of Her clarified that transgender women are welcome on the app.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kelleher |first=Patrick |date=21 February 2021 |title=Graham Linehan joined a queer women's dating app to share trans people's profiles. It backfired, badly |url=https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2021/02/21/graham-linehan-women-her-dating-app-trans-transphobia-backlash/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210227013450/https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2021/02/21/graham-linehan-women-her-dating-app-trans-transphobia-backlash/ |archive-date=27 February 2021 |access-date=26 February 2021 |website=[[PinkNews]]}}</ref> In March 2021, Linehan gave oral evidence to the [[Communications and Digital Committee]] of the [[House of Lords]] on the subject of freedom of expression online, discussing his Twitter ban.<ref name="irish independent" /><ref>{{Cite episode |title=Subject: Freedom of expression online |url=https://parliamentlive.tv/event/index/5236fc59-47ae-41c9-93f7-4ea16b5782c3 |access-date=19 September 2021 |series=[[Communications and Digital Committee]] |network=parliamentlive.tv |date=9 March 2021 |url-status=live |archive-date=20 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210920212635/https://parliamentlive.tv/event/index/5236fc59-47ae-41c9-93f7-4ea16b5782c3}}</ref>

In an interview in the ''[[Irish Independent]]'' that month, Linehan ruled out working with [[Channel 4]] again as they would not return the controversial ''IT Crowd'' episode to broadcast, and he said he would not work with the BBC as they had depicted a transgender lesbian couple, which Linehan described as "a heterosexual couple", in a [[CBeebies]] video.<ref name="irish independent" /> Ahead of the [[2022 Australian federal election]] in May, Linehan used his online platforms to rally international support for the [[Liberal Party of Australia|Liberal Party]] candidate [[Katherine Deves]], who had attracted controversy for anti-trans comments.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Crellin |first=Zac |date=19 April 2022 |title=''Father Ted'' creator rallies global support for Katherine Deves and her anti-trans comments |work=[[The New Daily]] |url=https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/politics/australian-politics/federal-election-2022/2022/04/19/katherine-deves-graham-linehan-trans/ |access-date=9 January 2023 |archive-date=9 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230109115841/https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/politics/australian-politics/federal-election-2022/2022/04/19/katherine-deves-graham-linehan-trans/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In September 2022, Linehan said that his anti-transgender activism had led him to question the [[COVID-19 vaccine misinformation and hesitancy|safety of COVID-19 vaccinations]] and the [[scientific consensus on climate change]] "because I've been lied to so conclusively by all the people I used to trust".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wakefield |first=Lily |date=1 October 2022 |title=Anti-trans activist Graham Linehan says he's no longer sure about COVID vaccines or climate change |url=https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2022/10/01/graham-linehan-covid-transphobia-climate-change/ |access-date=2 October 2022 |website=[[PinkNews]] |archive-date=1 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221001193816/https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2022/10/01/graham-linehan-covid-transphobia-climate-change/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In interviews in 2022 and 2023, Linehan said the debate over transgender issues had "consumed his life": it had lost him work, made him financially destitute, and ended his marriage.<ref name="irish independent" /><ref name="Andrew Billen-2023" /><ref name="Nolan">{{YouTube|id=3St5XimKi6U|time=345s|title=Graham Linehan: My interview with Stephen Nolan}}</ref> He said the ''Father Ted'' musical, on which he had been depending financially, was cancelled when the production company decided his involvement would make it impossible to stage.<ref name="Andrew Billen-2023" /> He had previously called for all people working on the musical to sign a declaration agreeing with some of his views on trans people while describing clashes he was having with colleagues over their views on trans rights,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-06-03 |title=Graham Linehan - Father Ted musical workers must sign declaration of women's sex-based rights |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9V5yaNv1pNQ |access-date=2023-08-24 |website=[[YouTube]] |archive-date=24 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230824174707/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9V5yaNv1pNQ |url-status=live }}</ref> and read out a letter he had written to collaborators saying: "I don't think you all have my back as collaborators or as business partners or as friends. Far from being on the wrong side of history, JK Rowling and I have been proved right over and over again that this is a poisonous ideology that is destroying lives."<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-05-27 |title=Father Ted musical scrapped while disgraced writer Graham Linehan still attached |url=https://www.thepinknews.com/2022/05/27/graham-linehan-father-ted-musical-trans/ |access-date=2023-08-24 |website=[[Pink News]] |archive-date=24 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230824174701/https://www.thepinknews.com/2022/05/27/graham-linehan-father-ted-musical-trans/ |url-status=live }}</ref> 

Linehan blamed [[cancel culture]] for his situation, and said: "Every comedian at the moment is living under a kind of state of permanent blackmail ... There's a few hot-button issues where you have to follow a certain line, and if you don't, you'll be destroyed."<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-03-25 |title='Father Ted' musical axed following Graham Linehan's controversial views |url=https://www.nme.com/news/tv/father-ted-musical-axed-following-graham-linehans-controversial-views-3190721 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220325231124/https://www.nme.com/news/tv/father-ted-musical-axed-following-graham-linehans-controversial-views-3190721 |archive-date=25 March 2022 |access-date=2022-03-25 |website=[[NME]]}}</ref> In 2023, he denied disliking transgender people, but said using their preferred pronouns was "immoral". He said he did not have a problem with "men calling themselves women" and that "as we keep pointing out, we are only talking about places where conflict arises".<ref name="Andrew Billen-2023" />