Clemmie Moodie

Bravely addressing one of the thorniest topics of the moment, Clemmie waded into the trans debate, and the rise of youngsters prematurely diagnosed transgender. In her own inimitable style, Clemmie revealed her own childhood gender confusion. Gamely including (less-than-flattering) photographs of her living as a boy, James, she was thus uniquely qualified to give a real and considered first-hand argument. After privately consulting with members of the Trans community and UK Trans charity - she wrote sensitively yet firmly, arguing against the indiscriminate handing out of hormone blockers. She suggested medical professionals should wait longer before diagnosing a child - 80% of whom, like Clemmie, go back to their original gender if left untreated. In so doing, she received hundreds of letters and messages of support from readers, and no criticism from anyone in the LGBTQ+ community; a rarity when writing on the trans debate. Clemmie backed-up her argument using prescient stats, and was subsequently asked by several TV/radio shows to discuss the column. The online article was also the Sun’s most-read on that day’s homepage.

Using her own experiences of cancel culture, Clemmie wrote a lively and informed first-person account of how it feels to be publicly vilified and ‘cancelled’. Passionately defending the importance of free speech - something which is increasingly being eroded in our digital society - Clemmie also made the previously little-considered point that by being so quick to take offence, we leave ourselves open to a crippling mental health epidemic: the price of after-care and therapy for those wrongly or unfairly shamed or fired. Clemmie opened-up about the heartache, and shame, of being dropped by a charity for making a nursery rhyme joke, one subsequently published out of context online. As Clemmie wryly observed, “There seems little point in trying to explain myself as judge, jury and Twitter’s baying mob of self-appointed, foaming-mouthed executioners [have] passed their sentence.” The resulting on-line article again promoted a mass outpouring of support from celebrities, readers and Sun readers and was the most-read comment piece of the week. In a diverse, far-reaching column, Clemmie led on Hollywood hypocrisy at the Baftas. She sardonically noted how stars publicly commiserated with Ukraine, whose water supplies were running out, whilst quaffing Tattinger. As Clemmie observed: “Woke eyes, carefully made up by headline sponsor Lancôme, were watering as stars mourned families being torn apart. Despite such internal angst, these superstars put on the performance of their lives — laughing heartily as host Rebel Wilson cracked gag after gag.” She did, however, praise the victory of deaf CODA actor, Troy Kotsur, explaining ‘woke culture’ - giving minorities a voice - is a “force for good”. Elsewhere, Clemmie lightened the tone with an breezy tale about her puppy’s recent pregnancy scare, and gave short-shrift to Keir Starmer over his blasé, “mansplaining” comments concerning what it is to be a woman. She also called for the end of Bercow-esque bullying in the office, rightly identifying that virtually every woman has encountered a Bercow.