Who is Melissa Poulton? UK MP Rachel Maclean under fire for transphobic remarks as ‘Bloke in a Wig’ goes viral on social media

UK MP Rachel Maclean, the Conservative Party's deputy chair for women, was put on blast for the various transphobic comments she made against Melissa Poulton, a transwoman running as Bromsgrove's Green Party candidate in the next election. On December 10, 2023, MP Maclean took to sharing and commenting transphobic content about Melissa Poulton on X (formerly Twitter).

Disclaimer: This article refers to transphobic content that is offensive in nature. Readers' discretion is advised.

According to the BBC, the original post, shared by Maclean, stated that Melissa Poulton was "a man who wears a wig and calls himself a 'proud lesbian'." As per The Mirror, Maclean then followed it up with a comment of her own:

"While the Greens don't know what a woman is, my Worcestershire neighbours the people of Bromsgrove certainly do."

A tweet calling out Maclean for her transphobic remarks (Image via @RonniNicole1/X)

Maclean's comment has since been deleted, following social media backlash.

In response, Melissa Poulton deemed Maclean's comments as "gaslighting" and "childish games from a government party who's going to be out of office" in a video statement to the BBC.

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"Here for the representation of queer woman": Melissa Poulton was criticized by Maclean for her candidacy announcement video

MP Maclean's transphobic comments came as a response to one of Melissa Poulton's videos. In the video, Poulton says:

"Representation matters and shapes policy… I encourage the most amazing, brilliant women to stand for politics."

The video was in support of the 50:50 Parliament campaign. Poulton has also been a strong proponent for equality in the Parliament, advocating for the campaign, an initiative to boost female representation in the House of Commons.

Melissa Poulton, who began her transition over a year ago, has been a member of the Green Party since 2020. According to MSN, she previously stood as a candidate in Worcestershire County and Wyre Forest District council elections.

With a background as a transport planner at Poundland, Poulton made the switch to politics 10 years ago to bring about equality for trans people. A graduate of the University of Essex, she is also the co-secretary of the LGBTQIA+ Greens and the Equality and Diversity Committee Member of the Green Party, according to her LinkedIn profile.

While responding to Maclean's comments in a statement to the BBC, Poulton noted:

"I'm here for representation as a queer woman, as a woman with transgender experience. I’m sure the people of Redditch will see that they’re attacking someone for who they are. We’ll see what happens at the ballot box."

In a statement to The Metro, Poulton said, "Representation matters. Transgender people represent 0.25% of the population according to the 2021 national census."

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#BlokeInAWig goes viral on social media

Following the comments made by MP Maclean, #BlokeInAWig has gone viral on X, trending in the United Kingdom. While few have taken to making light of the situation, others have called out the transphobic nature of the hashtag.

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"Nasty, snide and divisive comments": fellow politicians call out Maclean for her transphobic remarks

The comments made by MP Maclean have been met with rebuke by fellow politicians, with Green Party co-leader Carla Denyer deeming it:

"A deeply offensive intervention from an elected MP, who should be representing everybody in the community, not making these nasty, snide and divisive comments."

Wendy Morton, Aldridge-Brownhills MP, in an interview with the BBC, said there "should be respect in the heart of politics." Joe Baker, leader of The Redditch Labour Group, described the comments as "absolutely vile and hateful" in a statement to the BBC. He followed this up by saying:

“People who hold positions of authority should be looking after those they are in a position to serve. Rachel now needs to question her position.”

Rachel Maclean has since removed the post on social media and said, “I am sorry for any offence caused and I have now deleted the tweet."

In a statement to the BBC, she noted:

"Everyone in the UK should be free to live their lives and fulfil their potential regardless of their s*x, sexual orientation, or gender identity and to have the confidence and the freedom to be themselves."

Later, in a statement to The Metro, she clarified that she was only apologizing for the offence she caused Melissa Poulton. In a tweet, she maintained her criticism of the "Green Party's extreme policies on gender and self ID ideology."

Maclean was elected as MP for Redditch in 2017, and in November 2023, she was appointed as deputy chair of the Conservative Party.