After receiving millions of hate comments online, a counter-terrorism investigation probe was launched to protect a trans police officer in the UK.
PC Skye Morden found herself being the target of “two million hate comments” following coming out as transgender after serving with the West Midlands Police for 19 years.
Morden, who was fully supported by her colleagues in the force, wrote an article about her experience of coming out as trans in the police and some of the difficulties she had faced.
“We can fly helicopters on Mars, but the minute somebody says ‘I’m trans, I just wanna go and buy a pint of milk and be myself and not cause anybody any grief’, the world literally seems to me to lose its mind.”
“Those who have reached out just say, ‘Thank you. My son, my daughter, my brother, my sister, my best friend, my niece, my nephew … they have come out as trans, or they are concerned or confused about their gender identity. They have seen you up there and out there, and that’s given them hope.'”
“And you know what, that’s an absolutely incredible thing because that has given me huge amounts of hope.”
Morden, who says she always tries to look at the positives in life, adds that while so much have can be seen online on social media, in real life, most people she has met have actually been accepting and supportive of her transition.
“There is this huge difference and disconnect between online and real-world, and if you accept yourself and realise that actually most people just want to get on with their own lives and actually don’t care if somebody is trans,” she said.
“I think that needs to be held, and that’s really important.”
