Emmerdale spoilers: Matty Barton stunned as fellow villager hits him with transphobic behaviour
Matty Barton (Ash Palmisciano) and Amy Wyatt (Natalie Ann Jamieson)’s relationship in Emmerdale has had its ups and downs since they’ve been together, but they’re currently feeling settled and happy and are excitedly planning their upcoming wedding.
They settle on the Village Hall as their wedding venue, and with wedding planner Suzy Merton (Martelle Edinborough) across all the details, what could possibly go wrong?
It turns out it’s not a ‘what’ but a ‘who,’ when the vicar’s mum Claudette Anderson (Flo Wilson) decides to get involved.
Claudette is known for being a staunch Christian and being very moral and upright. She caused a massive fuss at Christmas when Nicola King (Nicola Wheeler)’s ideas for the Christmas fair were a bit too modern and secular for her tastes.
While those scenes were largely played for comedy, there’s a serious and disturbing side to her objections to Matty and Amy using the Village Hall as their wedding venue. It’s because Claudette has just found out that Matty is trans. She decrees that it would be wrong for them to use the hall because it’s church property.
For Matty, the fact that he’s trans is an issue that doesn’t really come up in the village, and it’s hurtful to encounter transphobic attitudes.
Matty made history as the first transgender character in Emmerdale, making his first appearance in 2018. Ash Palmisciano was initially involved as a story consultant. The casting director was so impressed by his passion and knowledge that he was invited to audition – and landed the part.
‘There was nobody on screen who was transgender when I was growing up,’ he said. ‘Now I get to play a character I so needed to see when I was younger. I would like to think public perceptions have changed.’
Suzy tries to help Matty and Amy out of a difficult situation by suggesting that she can quickly find a new venue, but for Matty that’s not the point. He says that he wanted to experience his wedding as himself, rather than being a trans role model for other people.
He would rather have a small-scale wedding wedding than be pushed into the limelight for the wrong reasons.
Amy understands his need to do things his own way, but she can’t help but be disappointed that, thanks to Claudette’s bigotry, neither she nor Matty will get the wedding they’d hoped for.
