A WELSH Tory has become the first ever MP to announce they are trans.
In a highly personal statement, Conservative MP Jamie Wallis revealed they have been diagnosed with gender dysphoria, were raped by a man in September last year and are “not OK”.
They won praise from across the political spectrum for their bravery.
The message was posted online shortly before 3am, following a gathering for Tory MPs at which Boris Johnson reportedly made a joke about trans issues. The Prime Minister later hailed the MP’s courage.
Wallis wrote: “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. I had no intention of ever sharing this with you. I always imagined I would leave politics well before I ever said this out loud.
“There was a close call in April 2020 when someone blackmailed me, outed me to my father and sent photographs to other family members.
“He wanted £50,000 to keep quiet. The police were so supportive, so understanding and on this occasion the system worked.”
The MP said the offender was sentenced to two years and nine months in prison after admitting his guilt.
“For a while it seemed as though I would be able to get on with things and move on,” Wallis wrote.
“Being an MP and hiding something like this was always going to be tough, but I arrogantly assumed I was up for it.
“Well, I’m not.”
Reflecting on being raped, they continued: “I have not been myself since this 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.
“Since then things have really taken a tumble. I am not ok.”
The MP was arrested and subsequently fined over a car crash last year.
Wallis said they fled the scene following the crash in November “because I was terrified”.