John Cleese, famous for his work on Monty Python as well as for his roles in major films, has been tweeting anti-transgender messages this past month in continued support of J.K. Rowling.
And now he is sarcastically claiming he identifies as a “Cambodian police woman.”
Related: Eddie Redmayne stands up for J.K. Rowling against internet “vitriol”
Last month, Cleese proclaimed that he signed an open letter in support of Rowling’s transphobia, along with other writers and actors in the U.K., calling the Harry Potter author “an honorable and compassionate person.”
Earlier this week, he said he wants “to be a Cambodian police woman.”
“Is that allowed, or am I being unrealistic?” he asked ironically.
Deep down, I want to be a Cambodian police woman
Is that allowed, or am I being unrealistic ? https://t.co/oGPwEWJM9a
— John Cleese (@JohnCleese) November 22, 2020
Someone on Twitter then accused Cleese of “standing in solidarity with transphobia and discrimination,” to which he sarcastically responded: “Yes, and torturing small animals and setting fire to babies.”
Yes, and torturing small animals and setting fire to babies
Are you psychic ? https://t.co/lMAn4U6cht
— John Cleese (@JohnCleese) November 22, 2020
After some back-and-forth, he finally said that he’s “not that interested in trans folks,” a bizarre position to take since he never would have been having conversations about transgender people if he didn’t initiate them.
I'm afraid I'm not that interested in trans folks
I just hope they're happy and that people treat them kindly
Right now I'm more focussed on threats to democracy in America, the rampant corruption in the UK, the appalling British Press, the revelations about police brutality… https://t.co/y6l33FBQNL
— John Cleese (@JohnCleese) November 22, 2020
Yesterday, he again tweeted about transgender people, saying that he was just asking questions when he signed an open letter that was also signed by sitcom writer Graham Linehan, who was banned from Twitter earlier this year for hate speech against transgender people.
When I tweet about trans-matters, I often ask questions
They are never answered
Why is this the case ?
Are the people who hate me stuck on trans-mit ?
New question: If people who disagree with you are 'haters', does this imply they are 'haters' for disagreeing with you
— John Cleese (@JohnCleese) November 24, 2020
Pink News found a thread from this past June where Cleese also said that he was “baffled” by discussions of Rowling’s transphobia.
The trans youth organization Mermaids responded to his “genuine request for information” by explaining that transgender women aren’t men who decide to “spuriously self-identify as women.” The group linked more information for him if he was interested in learning about transgender people.
Hello John. A point to bear in mind is that you wouldn't do that, because (unless we are mistaken) you are not transgender. Much of this is based on the myth that men spuriously self-identify as women. It doesn't happen: https://t.co/K6TrOhcGEk
— Mermaids (@Mermaids_Gender) June 19, 2020
So perhaps it’s not surprising that people don’t believe that Cleese’s current round of “asking questions” is not genuine.
In 2016, Cleese supported Brexit, the non-binding referendum to remove the U.K. from the European Union that was largely motivated by a desire to limit immigration and by concerns that the U.K. did not have enough power in the E.U.
In 2019, he said, “London was not really an English city any more” and implied that that was why the capital was “the UK city that voted most strongly to remain in the EU.”
In a previous interview, he said that London was “cosmopolitan” and “it doesn’t feel English.”
“I love having different cultures around but when the parent culture kind of dissipates you’re left thinking ‘Well, what’s going on?’”
“Londoners know that our diversity is our greatest strength,” London Mayor Sadiq Khan responded at the time. “We are proudly the English capital, a European city and a global hub.”