Former Television Writer and Creator Graham Linehan Pleads Not Guilty to Harassing a Trans Teenager

Graham Linehan—who is pictured above looking like a hobbit that got kicked in the face by a horse—is an unemployed former television writer who was once beloved as the co-creator of U.K. sitcoms Father Ted and Black Books and creator of The IT Crowd. However, his reputation took a nose dive after he decided to dedicate his life to being a transphobic bigot and harassing transgender people online. By his own admission, his obsession with hating trans people has cost him his career and his marriage. Now the transphobic former television writer finds himself facing charges of harassment against a teenage transgender girl.

According to the BBC, 56-year-old Linehan pled not guilty to two charges on May 12, one of which involved harassing 18-year-old transgender girl Sophia Brooks online back in October. It’s worth noting that, in 2020, Linehan was banned from Twitter for posting transphobic content and harassing individual trans women. His ban was lifted when Elon Musk took over the site. Linehan is also accused of damaging Brooks’ phone at the “Battle of Ideas” conference in London the same month.

Linehan is said to have simply stated his name, date of birth, and plea in court. Then outside the court, he stated that he spent six years defending “the rights of women and children” and has suffered harassment and abuse for it. He claimed on Twitter that “This is part of a long history of the police acting as a goon squad for trans rights activists,” which is an ironic lie considering that there’s a long history of the police abusing and mistreating trans women. We literally have an entire month dedicated to celebrating trans women (amongst others) fighting back against the cops.

Linehan is due back in court for trial on September 4, facing charges of harassing comments and damage to the phone totaling £369. He was granted bail on the condition of not contacting Brooks either directly or indirectly.

In Linehan’s previously mentioned Twitter post—which I won’t quote or link to directly because it deadnames and misgenders Brooks—he claims that Brooks has been harassing him for years. Keep in mind, though, that even if that is the case (which I doubt), she’s currently 18 years old, meaning that she was a literal minor in the years he claims she was coming after him. Yet, considering that Linehan has a long history of harassing trans women online, it seems hard to believe that Brooks threw the first metaphorical punch in this fight, in which case Linehan started an online battle with an actual child. Regardless of the outcome of this case, it seems that it’s just going to make things worse for him in his career and personal life. It’s always wonderful to see bigots get what they deserve.

Photo courtesy of social media