Life

BBC condemned for “propaganda” piece perpetuating “transphobic agenda”

By Conor Clark

26th October 2021

The BBC is facing backlash for publishing an article about lesbian women allegedly “being pressured into sex by some trans women.”

In the piece, the article’s author, Caroline Lowbridge, attempts to discover how “widespread” the issue is.

She cites things such as social media, people’s opinions and even a survey of 80 people as sources during her apparent investigation.

Lowbridge repeatedly acknowledges the lack of reliable information available, though never clarifies why she decided to write and publish the piece without it.

Although it is unclear exactly when Lowbridge deactivated her Twitter account, it was no longer live a few hours after the publication of the story.

However, cached tweets show that she was reaching out to potential interviewees as early as 2 September 2020.

A trans advocate account, @transadvocate, tweeted Lowbridge on 5 September 2020 in a bid to put her off writing the piece with a link to resources on the topic.

They said: “We hear that the BBC’s @CaroLowbridge is wanting to do a story on the ‘cotton ceiling.’ You know, that fake 2013 conspiracy where Planned Parenthood was training trans women how to rape Lesbians?

“All you need to know about it is here, Caroline.”

Despite apparently starting to work on the story over a year ago, Lowbridge only speaks to three lesbian women allegedly affected by the issue.

“While acknowledging the sample may not be representative of the wider lesbian community,” she writes, “she believes it was important to capture their ‘points of view and stories.’”

Lowbridge is referring to Angela C. Wild, co-founder of Get the L Out, who took to social media to share a questionnaire for lesbians.

The results concluded that 56% of the survey’s 80 respondents had felt pressured or been coerced into accepting a trans woman as a sexual partner.

Its findings are referenced extensively in the piece, despite the admission that its conclusions are not representative of the community.

Nadine Batchelor-Hunt, Political Correspondent for Yahoo News UK, criticised Lowbridge and the BBC for using such a survey as a source.

She said: “That BBC article about trans people is disgusting, I won’t share it as I don’t want to promote it. But whoever commissioned it should be ashamed.

“An article based on a social media poll by a group hostile to trans people with a headline that will drum up hatred is despicable.”

Similarly, The Independent’s Science & Tech reporter Adam Smith called the article “propaganda.”

He stated: “Headline: ‘Lesbians pressured into sex with trans women!’

“Evidence: a social media survey of just 80 people, only half of which actually agreed with, from a group condemned by Pride in London.

“This is propaganda.”

Complaints can be made to the BBC by clicking here.

Here’s how other people reacted to the article: