How did Graham Linehan, the creator of Father Ted, become the most hated man on the internet?


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Graham Linehan's Fall from Grace

This article details the downfall of Graham Linehan, the creator of popular sitcoms such as Father Ted and The IT Crowd. His once-celebrated career took a sharp turn due to his highly publicized and controversial stance against transgender ideology.

The Twitter Ban

Linehan's Twitter account (@Glinner) was permanently suspended for repeated violations of the platform's rules against hateful conduct and platform manipulation. The final straw was a tweet responding to the Women's Institute's Pride message with "men aren't women tho."

Linehan's Political Stance

The article notes Linehan's surprising political positions. While he identifies as a liberal, feminist, and critic of Gamergate and Brexit, his views on transgender issues have aligned him with more conservative platforms. He notably opposed the YouTube comedian Count Dankula and even tried to shut down his GoFundMe page. He also moved to the conservative-leaning social media platform Parler following his Twitter ban.

Contrasting Views

The author highlights the contrast between Linehan's past work, which was widely loved, and his current controversial image. The article suggests that his outspoken views on transgender issues, despite his other liberal positions, have alienated him from a significant portion of the public and led to his online ban.

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It’s been quite a descent for Graham Linehan: from co-creator of the much-loved Father Ted – much loved, because it’s, well, so lovely and loveable – to a much-despised figure for his years-long campaign against trans ideology.

Linehan is also the co-creator and/or writer of popular comedies The IT Crowd, Black Books, Big Train and Motherland. But his more recent position, at the centre of the trans debate’s most toxic area, has been deeply unfunny. Now Linehan has been permanently suspended from Twitter. 

A Twitter spokesperson said that Linehan’s @Glinner account had been “permanently suspended after repeated violations of our rules against hateful conduct and platform manipulation.” It was reportedly – and finally – shut down after tweeting “men aren’t women tho” in response to the Women’s Institute, who had wished transgender members a happy Pride.

His suspension follows Katie Hopkins getting the boot from the social platform. Yet it’s impossible to imagine Linehan aligning himself with Hopkins’s brand of attention-seeking far-Right vitriol. He’s an outspoken liberal: a self-professed supporter of feminism, opponent of Gamergate – a harassment campaign targeted at women within the gaming industry – and a critic of Brexit.

He also spoke out against Count Dankula, aka Marcus Meechan, the YouTube comedian who taught his dog to do a Nazi salute, and tried to have Meechan’s GoFundMe page shut down.

But Linehan has also followed Katie Hopkins in retreating to social media network Parler, which is gaining notoriety for its conservative-supporting stance and alt-Right users.

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