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Aimee Knight

Aimee Knight (née Challenor) is a British transgender activist and former politician. She was a rising star in the Green Party and its equalities spokesperson.[1] In 2018, her father, who had been her election agent, was convicted of raping a child and she was no-fault suspended during an investigation into safeguarding failures by the party.[1] She subsequently joined the Liberal Democrats in 2019 and was suspended after tweets appeared on her fiance's account stating he fantasized about children having sex, which she attributed to hacking.[2]

Aimee Knight
Knight campaigning for the Liberal Democrats in 2019
Born
Coventry, West Midlands, England
EducationOpen University
Organisation
Political party
MovementTransgender rights
Spouse
Nathaniel Knight
​
(m. 2019)​
Parents
  • David Challenor (father)
  • Tina Challenor (mother)
Website[1]

Knight later worked for Reddit as an administrator. In March 2021, a moderator was banned for linking to an article which mentioned her. Approximately 200 subreddits went private in protest of the ban and Knight's employment, arguing she hadn't been vetted properly due to her father and fiance. Reddit's CEO issued a statement that the ban had been the result of an overzealous automated moderating system meant to prevent doxxing and that she was no longer employed.[2]

She has been subject to harassment from anti-trans activists who have attempted to use her to link trans women and transgender rights with child abuse.[2][3]

Early life

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Knight was diagnosed with autism when she was 4.[4] She started identifying as a girl around the age of 10.[5] Knight and her two younger siblings were taken into care in 2013 after social services expressed concerns about her parents.[6] She was educated at Lewis Charlton Learning Centre.[7]

In February 2013, Knight - then 15 and affiliated with Anonymous - was arrested on suspicion of planning to carry out a cyberattack on the Bull Ring website in protest of tax evasion. No charges were brought and the case was eventually dropped.[8]

Knight came out publicly as trans in 2014 at her school's graduation prom when she was 16; The headmaster said she wasn't allowed to wear a dress because it was "unnecessarily attention-seeking" and would make the school "look stupid" but allowed her to following complaints from her parents.[9] She has stated that her transgender identity was questioned because she was autistic by her extended family when she came out and later by the NHS, who required her to get autism diagnosis to be re-confirmed over six months before being referred to a gender services clinic.[4]

Knight then attended Henley College Coventry, where she was the college's National Union of Students (NUS) lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) officer.[10][11] Knight lived with her mother in Coventry in 2018, while studying for a B.A. in philosophy, politics and economics at the Open University.[7]

Career

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LGBT activism

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In 2015, Knight was the LGBTQ Officer for Henley College Coventry; she protested the college's censoring of websites such as Birmingham Pride, which were considered "Gay or Lesbian or Bisexual Interest" by the college web blocker.[10][11] Knight became a member of Stonewall's Trans Advisory Group in 2015,[12] and was an organiser of Coventry Pride in 2016 and 2017.[13][14][15]

Knight campaigned for reform the Gender Recognition Act 2004 to make it easier for transgender and non-binary minors to get legal gender recognition to avoid misgendering and difficulties at school.[7] She has compared the struggles trans people face in the UK to the struggles gay people faced under Section 28 with trans people portrayed as sexual predators.[7]

In 2016, after a Transport for London (TfL) helpline employee told Knight that she "didn't sound like a Miss", she successfully campaigned to get TfL to investigate the incident and to use gender-neutral language in announcements, avoiding phrases such as "ladies and gentlemen".[16][17]

Knight has campaigned against the deportation of LGBTQ+ asylum seekers and criticized British Airways' role in them.[18][19]

Green Party

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Knight joined the Green Party of England and Wales in November 2014. She was the chair of LGBTIQA+ Greens (LGBT, plus intersex, queer, asexual, and other) between 2015 and 2017.[20] Knight became the party's equality spokesperson in 2016.[7] According to the Green Party, Knight was the only trans spokesperson for a UK political party.[21] Knight stood for Coventry City Council elections as a member of the Green Party in February 2016[22] and May 2016.[23]

In April 2017, Knight helped co-found the Global Greens LGBT+ Network alongside colleagues from Die Grünen, Groen, Taiwan Tree Party, and Taiwan Green Party.[24][25]

In 2017, Knight was elected to the Greens' national executive committee.[1] In July 2017, Knight was the Green candidate for Coventry South. She received 1.3% of the vote share, with 604 votes.[26] Knight stood in the 2018 party election to be deputy leader, which closed at the end of August.[6][27][28] Knight chose her father as her election agent for the 2017 general election and also the 2018 council elections while he was on bail.[6]

Verita investigation

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Knight's father, David Challenor, became a member of the Green Party in December 2015 when Knight gifted him a membership.[29][30] The same year he was reported to the West Midlands Police for raping and torturing a 10 year old girl. He was charged in court in November 2016 and on the same day Knight alerted the chair of the Green's national executive committee and one of its PR chiefs that he had been charged with sexual offenses but neglected to mention he was a party member.[1] She did not know the full details of the charges.[1] In August 2018, Knight's father was sentenced to 22 years in prison for the crime.[6][27][28] After her father's sentencing, Knight stood down from the Green Party's deputy leadership election, releasing a statement that she was horrified and saddened by his crimes and had only learnt the details of them just before his conviction.[6][9][31]

Knight was consequently suspended from the party on a no-fault basis, and the party launched an inquest into possible safeguarding failures as her father was allowed to act as her election agent after having been charged.[32][33] In September 2018, Knight resigned from the Green Party citing transphobia and criticizing former party leader Caroline Lucas for meeting with Woman's Place UK, who Knight described as a "hate group".[34] She denied this was due to the investigation.[34]

Verita, the firm hired to perform the inquiry, found in January 2019 that she had committed a "serious error of judgement" in appointing her father as her campaign manager though she was in difficult circumstances and not given "training and support".[1][35] It found the colleagues she alerted had "closed the matter off too quickly and should have followed up more" and failed to inform the local party.[36][35] The report recommended the party update its code of conduct, review its safeguarding policies, and speak to the police department about whether it should have notified them of the charges.[1][30]

Liberal Democrats

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In October 2018, she joined the Liberal Democrats, becoming the Diversity Officer for Coventry.[37][38] She was suspended from the party in July 2019 following an investigation after tweets appeared on her partner's account stating he fantasized about children having sex with other children and adults.[39][40] Knight told The Sunday Times that her partner's account had been hacked and that she and him condemned the messages in them.[40]

She stated she would be quitting politics by December following abuse and harassment.[40]

Reddit

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Knight began working as an unpaid moderator for subreddits such as r/lgbt, then did contract work, for the Reddit Public Access Network, and was hired as an administrator by Reddit.[2] In 2020, she helped write an open letter to Reddit's administrators about anti-LGBT harassment.[2]

In March 2021, Reddit banned a moderator for the r/ukpolitics subreddit for sharing a Spectator Magazine article mentioning Knight.[2][41] The r/ukpolitics sub went private, followed by over 200 subreddits in protest of both the bans and of the hiring of Knight, arguing she was not suitable due to her hiring of her father.[2][42] Reddit reversed the ban and posted a statement from their CEO Steve Huffman that Knight had been "the target of harassment and doxxing" earlier that month and Reddit had activated an automated moderation rule which had been too broad.[2][43] He stated that Knight had been inadequately vetted before being hired, was no longer employed at the company, and that they would review their relevant internal processes.[2][43]

During the Reddit controversy, she received transphobic abuse on Twitter,[3] anti-trans activist Graham Linehan widely publicized her employment at Reddit using her deadname and derogatory language.[2]

Personal life

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She is married to Nathaniel Knight and moved to the United States of America following her suspension from the Liberal Democrats.[3][40] Since coming out, she has been attacked on social media, including barrages of offensive tweets.[7] Anti-trans activists have harassed Knight and attempted to use her story to link the transgender rights movement and trans women with child abuse.[3][2]

In May 2018, BBC News published an article that quoted writer Miranda Yardley describing Knight as a "man". Knight said that the BBC did not contact her about the article before its publication, though following readers' complaints she was asked to comment, and her response was added to the article.[44][45]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g Rawlinson, Kevin (12 January 2019). "Green party failed to properly investigate child abuser – report". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 2 March 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Robertson, Adi (25 March 2021). "Major subreddits are going dark to protest Reddit allegedly hiring a controversial UK politician". The Verge. Vox Media, LLC. Archived from the original on 25 March 2021. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d Kelleher, Patrick (25 March 2021). "Reddit cuts ties with controversial trans activist after fierce backlash and protests". PinkNews. Archived from the original on 26 March 2021.
  4. ^ a b Robdale, Emma (12 November 2018). "You're Not Trans... You're Autistic!". Disability Arts Online. Archived from the original on 27 February 2019. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
  5. ^ Andalo, Debbie (11 May 2017). "Growing up transgender: 'I wish I could have come out younger'". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 28 August 2018.
  6. ^ a b c d e Gilligan, Andrew (26 August 2018). "Aimee Challenor: rising Green Party star quits deputy race over rapist father". The Sunday Times. Archived from the original on 25 February 2020.
  7. ^ a b c d e f Packham, Alfie (6 June 2018). "Aimee Challenor: 'Yes, I'm trans, but I'm a Green politician and proud of it'". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 24 August 2018.
  8. ^ Gilbert, Simon (26 May 2017). "Green Party General Election candidate's ties to Anonymous and arrest exposed". Coventry Telegraph . UK. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
  9. ^ a b Walker, Peter (27 August 2018). "Greens rising star quits deputy leader race after father jailed for rape". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 27 August 2018.
  10. ^ a b Cooney, Rebecca (19 January 2015). "Internet block on LGBT websites 'sends out wrong message'". FE Week. Archived from the original on 30 July 2016. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
  11. ^ a b Payton, Naith (13 January 2015). "College blocks students from accessing LGBT sites". PinkNews. Archived from the original on 30 August 2018. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
  12. ^ Tominey, Camilla; Walsh, Joani (5 February 2019). "Feminists not welcome in Lib Dems unless they support gender neutral toilets, says peer". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  13. ^ Hartley, Laura (18 June 2016). "Hundreds gather for Coventry Pride". Coventry Telegraph. Archived from the original on 30 August 2018.
  14. ^ Sagoe, Adonelle (16 November 2017). "Coventry Pride's LGBT Community Plans and Progress". iCov. Archived from the original on 29 August 2018.
  15. ^ "Coventry Pride Financial Statement for year ended 31st July 2017". Charity Commission for England and Wales. 31 July 2017. Archived from the original on 14 April 2021.
  16. ^ Pasha-Robinson, Lucy (8 December 2016). "Sadiq Khan looks to scrap gender specific announcements on London trains and buses". The Independent (UK). Archived from the original on 30 August 2018.
  17. ^ Gillett, Francesca (12 July 2017). "TfL scraps 'ladies and gentlemen' announcements in bid to be more gender-neutral". London Evening Standard. Archived from the original on 29 August 2018. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
  18. ^ "Cameroon asylum row man 'told to prove he is gay'". BBC News. 29 September 2016. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  19. ^ "British Airways Slammed For Sponsoring LGBT Pride While Co-Operating With Deportations". 3 August 2018. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  20. ^ "LGBTIQA+ Greens | Aimee Challenor". Green Party of England and Wales. Archived from the original on 25 August 2018. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
  21. ^ Forrester, Kate (28 April 2017). "Greens Take Aim At Lib Dems With LGBT Manifesto Launch In Church". HuffPost. Archived from the original on 2 September 2018. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
  22. ^ "Lower Stoke by-election 11 February 2016". Coventry City Council. Archived from the original on 11 September 2018. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
  23. ^ "Coventry City Council (local) election results - 5 May 2016". Coventry City Council. May 2016. Archived from the original on 16 August 2018.
  24. ^ Global Greens Congress (2 April 2017). "Advancing LGBT+ Rights after workshop FINAL BEFORE PLENARY APRIL 02" (PDF). Global Greens. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 April 2021.
  25. ^ Mulcahy, Sean (25 January 2017). "Global LGBT+ Network to launch". The Australian Greens. Archived from the original on 1 April 2021.
  26. ^ "Coventry South parliamentary constituency - Election 2017". BBC News. Archived from the original on 11 September 2018. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
  27. ^ a b "Man held 10-year-old girl captive in 'torture den' attic as he played out sadomasochistic fantasies". The Independent (UK). 22 August 2018. Archived from the original on 24 March 2021.
  28. ^ a b Beard, Paul; Eccleston, Ben (22 August 2018). "Sick pervert abused 10-year-old girl in attic 'torture den'". Coventry Telegraph. Archived from the original on 27 August 2018.
  29. ^ Epiq Europe Ltd (14 March 2019). "IICSA Inquiry-Westminster" (PDF). The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse. UK. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 November 2020.
  30. ^ a b Verita (January 2019). "Independent investigation into the Green Party's actions following the allegations and charges brought against David Challenor - A report" (PDF). The Green Party of England & Wales. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 March 2021.
  31. ^ Khan, Shehab (27 August 2018). "Greens deputy leadership candidate quits election race after father jailed for raping a child". The Independent (UK). Archived from the original on 27 August 2018.
  32. ^ Walker, Peter (31 August 2018). "Green party launches inquiry as it suspends Aimee Challenor". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 31 August 2018.
  33. ^ "Green Party suspends member over father's child rape conviction". BBC News. 31 August 2018. Archived from the original on 23 March 2021. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
  34. ^ a b "Activist quits Greens over 'transphobia'". BBC News. 4 September 2018. Archived from the original on 4 September 2018. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
  35. ^ a b Gilligan, Andrew (13 January 2019). "Green high-flier made 'serious error' by appointing father who faced sex charges as her agent". The Times (UK). Times Newspapers Ltd. Archived from the original on 24 March 2021.
  36. ^ Giordano, Chiara (13 January 2019). "Aimee Challenor: Green star failed to properly alert party of father's child rape charges". The Independent (UK). Archived from the original on 25 April 2019.
  37. ^ Mortimer, Josiah (3 October 2018). "Investigation into ex-Green Party spokesperson Aimee Challenor's application to join Lib Dems". Left Foot Forward. Archived from the original on 3 January 2019. Retrieved 3 January 2019.
  38. ^ "[archive of] - Aimee Challenor (Coventry Liberal Democrats Executive Committee)". Coventry Lib Dems. 2019. Archived from the original on 7 February 2019.
  39. ^ Reid, Les (6 November 2019). "Transgender activist Aimee Challenor no longer in Liberal Democrats post amid probe into sick tweets". Coventry Observer. Archived from the original on 24 March 2021.
  40. ^ a b c d Walsh, Joani; Griffiths, Sian (10 November 2019). "Lib Dems suspend trans campaigner over tweets". The Times (UK). Archived from the original on 23 March 2021.
  41. ^ Knowles, Tom (25 March 2021). "Social platform in Reddit censorship row over Spectator article". The Times (UK). London, UK: Times Newspapers Ltd. Archived from the original on 25 March 2021. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  42. ^ Goforth, Claire (24 March 2021). "Massive subs all go private to protest Reddit's hiring of a pedophile 'enabler'". The Daily Dot. Archived from the original on 24 March 2021.
  43. ^ a b Eccleston, Ben (25 March 2021). "Coventry activist Aimee Challenor removed from Reddit role following backlash". Coventry Telegraph. Archived from the original on 25 March 2021. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  44. ^ "Twitter 'bans women against trans ideology', say feminists". BBC News. 30 May 2018. Archived from the original on 6 September 2018. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
  45. ^ Challenor, Aimee (30 May 2018). "It's hard tackling transphobia when the BBC propagate it". i. Archived from the original on 6 September 2018. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
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