Jamie Wallis, a UK conservative MP, has officially come out as the first openly transgendered member of parliament. Â
Jamie Wallis is the MP for Bridgend in Wales and has released a statement on the 30th of March declaring news of his gender dysphoria and preferred pronouns.
Wallis claims, “I’m trans. Or to be more accurate, I want to be. I’ve been diagnosed with gender dysphoria and I’ve felt this way since I was a very young child.”
Wallis is continuing to be referred to with he/him pronouns for the time being.
The news of Wallis’ gender dysphoria, however, comes after a bout of troubling experiences. Wallis claimed he had not intended to reveal this aspect of his private so early on in his political career, but the situation escalated to the point that he had to make it public in order to continue being an MP.
Wallis claims that he was pushed to share the news, after a close call in April 2020 when someone blackmailed him, asking for £50,000 or else they would leak the news that they knew he was transgender. This individual sent images to his father, as well as other family members as evidence of their claim.
Wallis received a lot of support and understanding from the police, as he claims, and the pleader eventually pleaded guilty to the crime and is serving two years and nine months’ sentence in prison.
However, Wallis struggled to move on from this event when eventually, he suffered another traumatic experience.
The MP opens up about having met someone online for a ‘hook up’ in September. However, when this person refused to use a condom per Wallis’ request, they did not respect Wallis’ “no”, and proceeded to rape Wallis.
Wallis claims that he has not been able to be himself since the incident, “and I don’t think I will ever recover. It is not something you ever forget, and it is not something you ever move on from.” Wallis very openly claims, “I am not OK.”
In November, Wallis was involved in a car crash and has been accused of fleeing the scene, to which he now admits. He crashed his car and describes having PTSD and blanking out, having “no idea what (he) was doing” apart from “overcome by an overwhelming sense of fear”.
Wallis claims he did not have intentions to run away from the scene but was pushed by fears and terror and recollections from his past traumas, that is how it happened.
He concludes his statement by sharing his appreciation for the “incredible support” he has received from his coworkers.
Wallis adds, “Also, I was reminded how important it is to be yourself. I have never lived my truth and I’m not sure how. Perhaps it starts with telling everyone.”
Wallis is leading by example, being a politician prioritizing sharing his truth and his difficulties with the public. Trans visibility is important, and as Wallis said, “It’s time,” to have representation in politics.
In other news, MJ Rodriguez is the First Trans Actress to Ever Win a Golden Globe.Â
