Littlejohn The Clueless Transphobe

Well over a year has passed since the suicide of teacher Lucy Meadows, who had been subjected to a vicious assault by the tabloid press. This included a particularly vicious slice of transphobia from the Daily Mail’s tedious and unfunny churnalist Richard Littlejohn, who clearly cared little about the sensitivities surrounding a man who transitions to live as a woman.

Transgender, Guv? Not natural, innit?!?

Littlejohn, who as I recently observed takes his prurient interest in transsexual people as far as asking how they take a pee, went on the offensive, this meaning he was even more offensive than usual: “He’s not only in the wrong body, he’s in the wrong job ... The school shouldn’t be allowed to elevate its ‘commitment to diversity and equality’ above its duty of care to its pupils and their parents”

The sage of Vero Beach went on (and, yes, he does tend to go on) “It should be protecting pupils from some of the more, er, challenging realities of adult life, not forcing them down their throats. These are primary school children, for heaven’s sake ... he isn’t entitled to project his personal problems on to impressionable young children”. There was more. Rather too much more.

No improvement over the past two years, then

Such was the backlash that the Mail swiftly edited the online version of Littlejohn’s less than cultured bigotry. This, though, has not got through to its author, who has once again waded into trans issues as he today passes comment on the case of former boxing promoter Frank Maloney, who has transitioned to live as a woman. Dicky Windbag thinks that Kellie Maloney is a suitable subject for humour.

“In the blue corner, it’s Lorraine Kellie” he cheerfully tells his adoring readers (Sid and Doris Dacre). But this time, Littlejohn stresses that he knows his subject: “Before the ‘transphobia’ brigade starts bouncing up and down, let me put on record that I’ve known Frank on and off for more than 20 years”. But you just know what’s coming.

“I’ve worked with him, I like him enormously and I wish him every happiness”. Kellie is not, however, a “he”. This is clearly too challenging for Dicky Windbag, who resorts to yet more of that cheeky chappie knockabout humour in another lame attempt to get readers to “look over there”: “My wife wondered if Frank had chosen ‘Kellie’ because he/she now looks like GMTV’s Lorraine Kelly”.

He’s in a hole, and Healey’s Dictum goes unheard: “My first thought was that wonderful Big Spender episode of The Sweeney, starring Warren Mitchell as bent accountant Willie Wardle, who makes his escape in drag, wearing a blonde syrup and his mistress’s clothes”. Yes, for Littlejohn, it’s all one big laugh because it’s just like someone in drag. Seventeen months on and he’s still a clueless prat.

The Kellie Maloney story is one requiring tact, knowledge and understanding. It got none of these from Richard Littlejohn. No change there.