A petition has been set up by Wadham undergraduate Rowan Davis, which demands that The Sun publically apologises for a purportedly “dehumanising” and “transphobic” comment made in an article published by the newspaper last week. It has so far reached over 25,000 signatories.
The Sun columnist Rod Liddle wrote of Emily Brothers, a blind, transgender Labour MP candidate, “Thing is though… being blind, how did she know she was the wrong sex?”
In response to this, Davis, a Trans Rep for the Oxford University LGBTQ Society, started a petition calling for The Sun’s Editor, David Dinsmore, to issue a public apology.
Davis told Cherwell, “I have been overwhelmed at the hugely positive response to the despicable comment posted in The Sun by Rod Liddle concerning Emily Brothers. His article demonstrated completely the hatred that comes at the intersections of transphobia and ableism, ridiculing experiences of oppression for a quick laugh. I hope that this petition to ask for a direct and full apology from The Sun‘s editorial team will continue to grow, and that from it we can start to see changes in the way that trans people and those with disabilities are treated in the media.”
The petition argues that, “By reducing [Emily Brothers] down to her blindness and transness, Liddle has contributed to the dehumanisation and oppression of trans people and those with disabilities, and has helped uphold ableist and transphobic norms in politics.
“We deserve better, and as such The Sun should publically apologise.”
Brothers is standing to be MP for the constituency of Sutton & Cheam in the next General Election, and is the first openly transgender Labour candidate to run for parliament.
Liddle released a statement on Friday apologising for what he described as a “poor joke”, saying, “I wish Emily the very best and I’d definitely vote for her if I lived in Sutton and Cheam.”
Responding to this apology, Brothers wrote that she had “wondered aloud how he [Rod Liddell] knows he’s a man when he turns the light out. I believe strongly in press freedom. But it should hold the rich and powerful to account, not mock and undermine the vulnerable and disadvantaged.”
In reaction to Brothers’ response to Liddell’s apology, and due to the attention the petition received, Davis added an update on December 16th, which stated that “It is vital that we keep pressure up on the editors of The Sun to issue a full apology without reservations.” Having reached 25,000 signatures in just five days, the goal for the petition has been shifted to 35,000 signatures.
Davis launched the petition after Wadham student Tim Cannon posted a link to the original article in The Sun on the Facebook group NoHeterOx**.
The Sun has not responded to Cherwell’s request for comment.
