Life

Dozens protest BBC’s “biased and transphobic” article outside London HQ

By Conor Clark

8th November 2021

Photo: Twitter [@WhatTheTrans]

Members of the LGBTQ+ community protested the BBC’s anti-trans article outside its London headquarters on 6 November.

Dozens took to the street outside Broadcasting House to object to Caroline Lowbridge’s infamous coverage of lesbian women allegedly “being pressured into sex by some trans women.”

The BBC is continuing to face backlash for the piece following its publication on 26 October, which sees Lowbridge attempt 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.

It was also recently revealed that Lily Cade, a lesbian porn star interviewed for and included in the story, has been calling for trans women to be “lynched”.

The BBC opted to erase her from the story on 4 November, adding a statement to the end of it confirming the move and acknowledging that “an admission of inappropriate behaviour by the same contributor should have been included in the original article.”

GAY TIMES is still awaiting comment from the broadcaster on Cade’s remarks and whether or not they were aware of her extremist views and the sexual assault allegations against her prior to the publication of Lowbridge’s article.

However, in a previous statement sent to us in response to Bimini Bon-Boulash criticising the BBC for “pushing an anti-trans agenda,” it said that the piece “went through our rigorous editorial processes.”

“It is important that journalism looks at issues – even where there are strongly held positions,” the statement continues. “The BBC is here to ensure debate and to make sure a wide a range of voices are heard.”

In response to the story, around 100 protesters united to challenge the article and demand further action from the BBC.

Speaking to the What The Trans!? news site, one of the event’s organisers, who is remaining anonymous at this time, said: “The BBC’s transphobic article was written, without evidence, to paint a target on the backs of every trans person in the country.

“In doing so it platformed a serial sex abuser who has since called for the murder of all trans people as well as the rape of the mother of a trans person.

“This is not news, it is targeted hate-propaganda that has no place on any news platform. The UK media has hermetically sealed trans people out of the discussion about trans people, this is the real silencing.

“The BBC needs to take this article down and apologise to trans people, it also [needs] to employ trans people as journalists and columnists.”

Mae Martin, who will star in the upcoming season of The Flight Attendant, was among the protesters and took to Instagram to issue a statement.

“You can’t tell from my grin how unsettled I am by the fact that @bbc and other UK media continue to uncritically platform misinformed, demonstrably biased and transphobic opinions,” Martin wrote. “It’s bad journalism and it’s contributing to a culture of hysteria that makes life scarier for trans/nonbinary people in this country (and it was already scary).

“Quotes from Lily Cade, who had called for trans women to be lynched and executed, and who multiple women have accused of sexual assault (something the BBC was made aware of and failed to include in the article) display a startling lack of journalistic integrity.”

Another protest outside Broadcasting House is scheduled for 8 January 2022, with Reclaim Pride Brighton holding one on 13 November outside BBC Sussex.

 

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