British MP Jamie Wallis comes out as UK's 1st transgender member of Parliament

A lawmaker in Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Conservative Party said on Wednesday he planned to change his gender identity, which would make him Britain's first openly transgender member of Parliament, a decision he said followed a series of harrowing episodes in his personal life. Jamie Wallis, 37, who represents an area in Wales, said in a statement he was diagnosed with gender dysphoria and has "felt this way" since he was a child. In a highly personal statement, Wallis detailed a series of traumatic incidents over the past two years, including being raped after refusing to have sex with someone he met online, becoming the subject of a blackmail attempt over his gender dysphoria, and fleeing the scene after he crashed a car. "For the time being, I will continue to present as I always have and will use he/him/his pronouns," Wallis said in a further statement. The statement was met with messages of support from the prime minister, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, Northern Ireland Minister Brandon Lewis, and other members of parliament. For more info, please go to https://globalnews.ca Subscribe to Global News Channel HERE: http://bit.ly/20fcXDc Like Global News on Facebook HERE: http://bit.ly/255GMJQ Follow Global News on Twitter HERE: http://bit.ly/1Toz8mt Follow Global News on Instagram HERE: https://bit.ly/2QZaZIB #UK #LGBTQ #GlobalNews