Paul Embery vs. transgender people

Paul Embery is a British firefighter and union leader who frequently makes anti-transgender comments. Embery has written for anti-trans group blogs UnHerd, The The Spectator, Spiked, and Compact.

Background

Embery was born and raised in Dagenham. Embery served as a firefighter in London. Embery won a case after being dismissed from his union for supporting Brexit. In 2020, Embery published Despised: Why the Modern Left Loathes the Working Class.

Anti-transgender activism

Embery’s central thesis is that the Labour Party has abandoned workers in favor of “trans rights” and other social issues:

It has over recent years become blindingly apparent that only a handful in the party ever venture to discuss these sorts of macroeconomic questions. Matters of employment, growth and prosperity can jolly well take their place behind the campaign for trans rights and Palestine in the queue of priorities.

As it happens, the publication of the report coincided with the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia. You can guess which took precedence on the Twitter feeds of Labour MPs during those 24 hours.

Embery has made a number of anti-trans statements.

In 2017 Embery wrote on Twitter, “There’s something Orwellian about allowing someone to insert a lie on their birth certificate & forcing society to accept the lie as truth.”

Embery added, “Coming next: short people may identify as tall, fat people may identify as thin, and ugly people may pretend to be George Clooney.”

In 2022 Embery quoted a Spiked article by Brendan O’Neill titled “Eddie Izzard was born male and he will die male,” then said, “Pretty much sums it up.”

In 2023, Embery denied the UK’s relentless attacks on trans people, writing, “There is no “war” on trans people. There is simply resistance to increasingly strident and unscientific demands.”

References

Parkin, Simon (May 10, 2023). Norfolk firefighter wins damages from union boss over tweet. Norwich Evening News https://www.eveningnews24.co.uk/news/23511797.norfolk-firefighter-wins-damages-union-boss-tweet/

Jackman, Josh (August 3, 2017). Exclusive: Transgender firefighter says union official’s transphobic remarks ‘incited hate.’ PinkNews https://www.thepinknews.com/2017/08/03/transgender-firefighter-says-union-officials-transphobic-remarks-incited-hate/

Jackman, Josh (July 27, 2017). Union refuses to condemn high-ranking official for transphobic remarks. PinkNews https://www.thepinknews.com/2017/07/27/union-refuses-to-condemn-high-ranking-official-for-transphobic-remarks/