The UK’s first trans MP Jamie Wallis says a part of him died after being raped
Jamie Wallis has said he wants to transition "as quickly as possible" after coming out as trans in March.
Words: Alastair James; pictures: Wiki
The UK’s first trans MP, Jamie Wallis, has said a part of him died after he was raped a few months ago.
In March, Wallis came out in an emotional statement where he revealed he was trans and that he’d been the subject of a £50,000 blackmail plot.
Speaking to Sky News’s Sophy Ridge on Sunday (24 April) in regard to the rape incident the 37-year-old Conservative MP for Bridgend in South Wales, who is using he/him pronouns, said things had started well after meeting someone he liked.
“I’m not the person I was before that happened”
“Then I was not okay with not being what I consider to be responsible and safe practice in the bedroom, so I withdrew consent and then there was… then he just decided that he was going to do it anyway and I was powerless to stop him and in that moment a part of me died and I have been trying to get it back ever since,” he explained.
He said that he hadn’t been able to get that part of himself back since.
“I tried to forget about it for a few weeks and it almost worked, almost worked but then you start getting nightmares, flashbacks, it starts occupying every one of your thoughts and you find yourself just staring off into the distance because you’re thinking about it again and that’s when I chose to get some help.
“Like I said in my statement, I’m not okay, I’m not the person I was before that happened but I am at least in a place where I can get on with my life whilst I am dealing with it,” Wallis added.
He said the number of people who had got in touch had been shocking and that it had changed his view on what he deemed a “pervasive issue”.
The Welsh MP also told Sky News that he’d had an “incredible” outpouring of support since coming out in March.
He plans to transition “as quickly as possible” but recognised “it’s not going to be done overnight, it’s going to take many, many years.”
Wallis also revealed that he’d felt ashamed of being trans for a long time but his thinking changed around “six to eight months ago”.
“This is who I am, this is what I want and actually I have waited a long time to feel that way,” the MP added.
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