This is thetalk page for discussing improvements to theGraham Linehan article. This isnot a forum for general discussion of the subject of the article.
Thecontentious topics procedure applies to this article. The entire article relates to the following contentious topics:
Gender-related disputes or controversies or people associated with them
Living or recently deceased subjects of biographical content on Wikipedia articles
The following restrictions apply to everyone editing this article:
This page isprotected. You must be logged-in to anautoconfirmed or confirmed account (usually granted automatically to accounts with 10 edits and an age of 4 days)
Can you remove "anti-transgender activist" or change it to "women's rights activist"/"gender-critical activist"?
No. Wikipedia is primarily based onreliable secondary sources, and these describe Graham Linehan as an anti-transgender activist. Per discussions on the talk page, there is consensus among editors to use this wording. Please see the talk page archives to review these discussions.
This article must adhere to thebiographies of living persons (BLP) policy, even if it is not a biography, because it contains material about living persons. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced orpoorly sourcedmust be removed immediately from the article and its talk page, especially if potentiallylibellous. If such material is repeatedly inserted, or if you have other concerns, please report the issue tothis noticeboard.If you are a subject of this article, or acting on behalf of one, and you need help, please seethis help page.
This article is within the scope ofWikiProject Biography, a collaborative effort to create, develop and organize Wikipedia's articles about people. All interested editors are invited tojoin the project andcontribute to the discussion. For instructions on how to use this banner, please refer to thedocumentation.BiographyWikipedia:WikiProject BiographyTemplate:WikiProject Biographybiography
This article is within the scope ofWikiProject Ireland, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage ofIreland on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can jointhe discussion and see a list of open tasks.IrelandWikipedia:WikiProject IrelandTemplate:WikiProject IrelandIreland
This article is within the scope ofWikiProject Screenwriters, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage ofscreenwriting,screenwriters, and related topics on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can jointhe discussion and see a list of open tasks.ScreenwritersWikipedia:WikiProject ScreenwritersTemplate:WikiProject Screenwritersscreenwriter
The trans part of this article is excruciating. Can it be cut down? Does wikipedia need to be the place where the whole awful story is detailed? Its notable that a master comedic writer succombed to political obsessions and became a pariah, but maybe not every sad twist and pathetic* turn of events afterwards. I don't have any specific parts I want to amputate, but it could be written less episodic, more overarching, if that makes sense.
Any attempt to trim down the 'Trans part' is doomed to failure. These articles for a hot topic for some and indiffernce from most - but if you extract the 'Trans' parts and references - which run to around 2141 words only around 941 words remain. For the 'Trans interested' that will be because his 'Anti trans stance' is so noticeable.
Some because it speaks of a man prepared to suffer the slings and arrows for his beliefs and some because they see it as condemning him.
Most people, I think, just know hime as the Irish comedy writer who created characters and stories we know and love. A bit like Rowling and Harry Potter really.
All that said - is anyone interested in slimming down the 'Anti trans' part. I can't be arsed to have a go if every comma will be defended to the last.Lukewarmbeer (talk)12:04, 14 October 2025 (UTC)[reply]
Thisedit request has been answered. Set the|answered= parameter tono to reactivate your request.
Change "(Graham Linehan) is an Irish comedy writer and anti-transgender activist." to "(Graham Linehan) is an Irish comedy writer tagged as an 'anti-transgender activist' by critics and as a 'free-speech activist' by advocates.
Change "Linehan says his views have "consumed his life", lost him work, and ended his marriage." to
To"Linehan says his involvement have "consumed his life", lost him work, and that threats against his family ended his marriage, also stating that he "did it for his wife and daughter" and that he "would do it again" for he believes it was "his job as a father".
Reactions stemming from Linehan's involvement in the debate include cancelling of re-airing of episodes and shows, several lawsuits, back-and-forth accusations of discriminating others and a very famous police arrest at Heathrow airport."
"tagged as an 'anti-transgender activist' by critics and as a 'free-speech activist' by advocates." is not appropriate wording. As per the FAQ, reliable sources describe him as an anti-transgender activist, so we should state that plainly. Also I don't see why we need three separate quotes from him about how he did what he did for supposed noble reasons. Also "very famous" arrest? Is that in sources?GraziePrego (talk)12:11, 28 October 2025 (UTC)[reply]
The lead currently gives undue weight to Linehan’s gender-related activism by mentioning it in the opening sentence. PerWP:LEAD andWP:UNDUE, the introduction should summarise themost notable aspects of the subject in proportion to their prominence in reliable sources — in this case, his career as a comedy writer and television creator. The gender-critical controversy is relevant, but should appear further down in the article, not before his primary notability.Bitplane (talk)21:48, 8 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]
What is the preponderance of coverage of him about? We have "Despite his TV writing career, Graham Linehan is now best known for his activism in opposition of transgender rights"[1], "Linehan used to be known as a superlative comedy writer. Today, ... [he] describes himself as a writer “about the current all-out assault on woman’s rights”."[2], "These days, however, he is better known for his online crusade against transgender activism"[3], "Now, though, he’s best known for his social media attacks on so-called transgender ideology"[4], "Linehan is well known for posts asserting that trans women are men"[5].
Or "Anti-transgender campaigner Graham Linehan"[6], "Graham Linehan, an Irish comedy writer and anti-transgender activist"[7],
I bet if we were to take a look at the entire corpus of reliable sources about him, the ones about his anti-trans advocacy would overwhelmingly outnumber the coverage of his television and comedy career.Katzrockso (talk)22:12, 8 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]
We go over and over this. This wouldn't even touch the sides if he wasn't already notable and continues to notable for his comedy etc. The anti transgender section is way too extensive and needs a good pruning.Lukewarmbeer (talk)15:23, 9 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]
He's done absolutely nothing else with himself for years at this point. If you say "Graham Linehan", people don't go "Oh the Father Ted guy", they go "Oh... Right, *grimace*, that guy". Anti-trans activism is very firmly what he's better known for at this point.Snokalok (talk)15:45, 9 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]
Have to disagree there.
He is notable for his writing etc. Very few people are aware of (in any detail) or care about the micro world af trans or anti trans activism - except where it intrudes on the macro world (as with trans men in women sports or prisons or washrooms).
I appreciate it is a major focus for some but that 'some' is a tiny 'special interest group'.
On 20/10 the Independent, reporting on "Graham Linehan threw trans activist’s phone after she ‘took photos of people’s faces" says
Comedy writerGraham Linehan is on trial in London, accused of harassing trans woman Sophia Brooks and damaging her mobilephone.
From a global perspective, most people probably hadn't heard of him until the overwhelming amounts of coverage he received for his anti-trans advocacy. Sad it had to be his legacy, but that's the path he choseKatzrockso (talk)12:58, 15 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]
(Replying to Lukewarmbeer) So yes, you're demonstrating that some media recognise he was notable for his comedy writing, while he's now notable for his anti-trans activism. We cover both here, using sourced content. I'm sure if he ever starts writing comedy again, that will be covered too. In the meantime, we cover what thereliable sources say about him, and these days, that's 100% his anti-trans activism and run-ins with the authorities as a result. We may be approachingWP:IDIDNTHEARTHAT territory?BastunĖġáḍβáś₮ŭŃ!17:15, 15 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]
Not was - is. I have just quoted an article written a few weeks ago that says Comedy writerGraham Linehan i. Are you hearing that? It's where his notability is.
I guess he is carrying on with his writing. The Father Ted co-creator has teamed up with Deuce Bigalow starRob Schneider and comedian and GB News hostAndrew Doyle to pen a new series, which has now been revealed to be calledTenure.
I would agree that anti trans is worthy of coverage here because he has set himself up for that but our coverage (as said before) far too extensive and seeks to cover any jot and tittle.Lukewarmbeer (talk)14:00, 16 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]
Well, it's certainly relevant if you take the cynical view that the only people that Linehan has found that will work with him these days are those that share his worldview, unless you consider that to be an amazing coincidence.Black Kite (talk)07:45, 17 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]
Simply pointing out that Linehan has started writing again with two other people who are known for their transphobia is completely neutral. Of course, speculating onwhy that is the case is original research, at the moment.Black Kite (talk)15:50, 17 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]
If there's a shift in sourcing on "anti-trans", that would justify having a whole new conversation about this. Otherwise, we're pretty settled on the wording and prominence due for this aspect of Linehan's notability. This section was started to discuss changes to the lead, which I oppose, but I do actually agree with Lukewarmbeer that the body could use a trim. We could consolidate some events, cut some minor ones, and move further from theWP:PROSELINE without majorly affecting the NPOV of the article.Firefangledfeathers (talk /contribs)15:57, 17 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]
I'd agree with that. The fact that Linehan supports JK Rowling's line on trans people is hardly surprising, and it's mentioned twice. The laundry list of appearances in the last paragraph of the "Post Twitter Reinstatement" paragraph is not really useful. There's probably more.Black Kite (talk)16:08, 17 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]
Before I go too far would you have a look at this and see if interested editors think I'm on the right track here. If so will work through it all and ask you to have a look and straighten out anything I don't adequately convey.
We have a mile of Citations, some of which aren't good - so I'm just adding enough to support what we include.
Original:
Linehan is involved in anti-transgender activism. By the time he went into cancer surgery in 2018, he had already drawn attention for publicly siding withgender-critical people, yet as he describes in his memoir, "I had not quite nailed my colours to the gender-critical mast." From his hospital bed, he "sent a few tweets carefully explaining my position", which he believed to be "sound" and "in good faith", having thus "identified myself as a 'Terf' ally". Later that year, he expressed these views on a podcast.
The topic had come up for him in 2013, when an old episode he had written forThe IT Crowd was publicly reexamined and widely criticised astransphobic and sexist. Critics[who?] said the 2008 episode, "The Speech", used gender stereotypes and trivialisedviolence against transgender women. The episode features a man who learns that his girlfriend is transgender and gets into a physical fight with her. Channel 4 removed the episode from syndication and streaming in 2020. Linehan felt the joke was "harmless" and says he did not understand the "ferocity" of the response, arguing that a transphobic character did not make him or the episode transphobic.
Linehan has said he is sceptical ofgender self-identification, objecting to "privileged white people saying you must accept anyone who says they are a woman". He said that "anyone suffering fromgender dysphoria needs to be helped and supported", but he voiced concern over early transgender intervention for children.
Revised:
Linehan became involved in anti-transgender activism when "The Speech" (a 2008 episode he had written for Chanel 4'sThe IT Crowd ) was removed from syndication and streaming in 2020 following “numerous complaints about transphobia” Linehan wrote that the decision was “an attack on my right to freedom of speech”. The episode features a man who learns that his girlfriend is transgender and gets into a physical fight with her. Linehan felt the joke was "harmless" and says he did not understand the "ferocity" of the response, arguing that a transphobic character did not make him or the episode transphobic.
Linehan has said he is sceptical ofgender self-identification, objecting to "privileged white people saying you must accept anyone who says they are a woman". He said that "anyone suffering fromgender dysphoria needs to be helped and supported", but he voiced concern over early transgender intervention for children including making a comparison between the treatment of gender dysphoric children with Nazi experimentationSee Newsnight
I don't see many issues there, although I note it keeps the "he voiced concern over early transgender intervention for children" line, which sounds very mild and reasonable, when he actually said (and we note this in the next paragraph) that such treatment was equivalent to Nazi eugenics experiments...Black Kite (talk)14:18, 24 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]
To me this reads like a severe toning down of what sources continually write as one of the most unhinged voices in the anti-trans movement. I don't think Wikipedia would be at all served by us sanewashing him.Snokalok (talk)16:56, 25 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]
Not done for now: please establish aconsensus for this alterationbefore using the
