Boris Johnson Jokes About Trans People Hours Before UK's First Openly Trans MP Comes Out

Boris Johnson took aim at the trans community during his opening speech at a parliamentary party dinner on Tuesday night just hours before Conservative MP Jamie Wallis – who was in the audience – came out as trans.

According to Politico, the prime minister, speaking at London’s Park Plaza hotel, began: “Good evening ladies and gentlemen, or as Keir Starmer would put it, people who are assigned female or male at birth.”

This jibe at the leader of the opposition Labour Party followed Starmer’s recent show of support for the trans community, as the Labour leader has repeatedly expressed his view that “trans women are women.”

A few hours later – at around 3 a.m. Wednesday – Wallis, who went to the same dinner as the prime minister, shared a heartfelt post on Twitter explaining that he is trans “or to be more accurate, I want to be.”

In a subsequent post, Wallis explained that for the time being he will continue to use he/him pronouns, adding: “I remain the same person I was yesterday.”

The Conservative MP for Bridgend in South Wales also praised the support he has received from the Tory whips.

He revealed his experience with gender dysphoria, blackmail plots and sexual assault, before concluding: “I have never lived my truth and I’m not sure how. Perhaps it starts with telling everyone.”

He did not touch on the prime minister’s opening joke, but emphasized that the evening reminded him of “the incredible support those you work with can provide.”

Johnson’s jibe at the trans community was also defended by senior Tory Andrea Leadsom on Wednesday morning. Like Wallis, she attended the Conservative Party dinner.

She told BBC Two’s Politics Live that Johnson’s slight toward trans people was “a light-hearted joke,” although Scottish National Party MP John Nicholson said it had been in “appalling taste” and showed the prime minister had got “the tone wrong.”

After Wallis posted about his gender dysphoria, the prime minister tweeted in support of the Tory MP, writing: “Sharing this very intimate story would have taken an immense amount of courage. Thank you @JamieWallisMP for your bravery, which will undoubtedly support others.

“The Conservative Party I lead will always give you and everyone else, the love and support you need to be yourself.”

Johnson reiterated his support for Wallis during prime minister’s questions in Parliament on Wednesday afternoon, when he promised that the House of Commons “stands with you and will give you the support you need to live freely as yourself.”

Asked on Monday if the prime minister believes trans women are women, Johnson’s official spokesperson said: “When people want to make the transition in their lives, they should be treated with maximum possible generosity and respect. And we have systems in this country that allow it and have done for a long time.”

They added: “We should be very proud of it. But obviously you made the point about the importance of the basic facts of biology.”

The week before, the prime minister said in PMQs that the “basic facts of biology remain overwhelmingly important” when distinguishing between men and women.

Wallis is the first MP to come out as an openly trans person, and has received a huge amount of support from other parliamentarians.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.