Hello everyone. I’m not Graham Linehan, the comedy writer and director.
In fairness, he's not a comedy writer or director anymore either.
My name is Felix F Fern. I'm a disabled transgender, intersectional activist, writer and public speaker. I've written several articles on a variety of LGBTQ+ issues for a few different publications, I made many television and radio appearances in 2022 (including telling Andrew Castle how much I hate golf), I've spoken at various events and I am part of a small but very hard working team called Trans Activism UK that is dedicated to raising awareness for the fight for equality for trans and non-binary people in the UK.
I am someone that Graham Linehan once claimed is disabled because I took Testosterone, 'thus causing me to have to use mobility aids.
Graham Linehan is, at the time of me writing this, trying to raise £100,000 in order to defend himself from someone taking him to court due to, in his own words:
"... [having] written about David Paisley and his attacks on gender critical women, gay men and LGB organisations."
In fact, if you search the name 'Paisley' on Mr. Linehan's Substack, there are no less than
40 articles he has published about the man.
David Paisley is a gay cisgender man who supports transgender people, and has been a proud and vocal ally to the trans community for many years, as well as someone who has spoken in support of women and victims of domestic abuse.
I am not Graham Linehan. I do not have decades of successful credits under my belt.
Nor did I post a YouTube video exclaiming that I bought a car that "I don't need."
In fact, despite the aforementioned work that I do, I am about to become homeless. I had to stop working in 2020, after a very successful career in the civil service, due to my health conditions becoming more severe and multiple hospitalisations, and I had to make the very difficult decision to prioritise being able to take care of myself over the job that I loved, knowing that otherwise I would drive myself to an early grave.
Unfortunately my living situation has come to an end due to unforeseen circumstances, and come early March I will have placed my pets into foster homes and will be relying on the council to provide emergency temporary accommodation so that I am not on the street.
So, why am I raising £100,000?
Because I'm not Graham Linehan.
I don't expect to raise a penny,
but if I do it will provide me with an intensely smug glee.
If I
do raise some money, what will I do with it?
I haven't published 40 articles about a gay man, so I don't need any money to defend myself in court.
If I raised £23,000 I could pay off the rest of the money that my beautiful Muslim trans fem friend needs to get life changing gender affirmative surgery.
If I raised £73,000 total I could probably afford to buy a small cheap house up North and never have to worry about homelessness again. Or pay off more people's surgeries.
If I raised £100,000 I could give £27,000 to David Paisley to help with his legal costs, or give it to grass roots trans and intersectional charities, or never have to worry again about having to raise money to cover the costs for British Sign Language interpreters at trans rights protests.
All I know is that if I raise any money, it will go towards something far more worthwhile than Graham Linehan's fundraiser.
UPDATE:
GoFundMe have asked me for some more details to add to this, so for full transparency I'm going to let you know what they've requested and answer those questions here.
1. What is your relationship to the people you're raising funds for?
Firstly there is myself, that one is self-explanatory.
Secondly, there is Shaira Bambi who is one of the co-founders of Trans Activism UK, she is also one of my best friends. I cannot think of anyone more deserving of financial aid than her, and she is my friend who is saving for life changing gender affirmative surgery.
Thirdly, there is David Paisley. I have worked with David directly within the activism scene, and I consider him a friend, who I fully support in his legal case.
2. Provide a clear plan for how you'll deliver the funds to the person you're raising money for, or how you'll use the funds on their behalf.
In my original rundown, I used portions of the total goal to explain how the funds could theoretically be used if this fundraiser raised certain amounts of money.
I am now going to change that here, to give a clear and transparent plan of how the funds, no matter how much is raised, will be used.
30% of all funds raised will be sent directly to Shaira Bambi, for her surgery costs.
20% of all funds raised will be sent directly to David Paisley, if he so wishes, to aid in his legal costs.
The remaining 50% of all funds raised will be received by myself, due to the amount of people who have donated in the hope of this fundraiser supporting me with my housing issues. However, if by some miracle this fundraiser reaches it's goal or close to it, I will be using some of those funds to donate to other trans mutual aid funds.
3. If you've added a beneficiary to receive the bank transfers, be sure their name and your relationship to them is shared in your fundraiser story.
This one isn't applicable, as I'll be the primary beneficiary for the funds, but at present I am not setting up any bank transfers and any funds raised will remain with GoFundMe, until at least
25th March which is when Graham Linehan's Crowd Justice fundraiser closes.
