Complaint
A listener complained about two episodes of the above series available on BBC Sounds. They said the episodes contained inaccurate and misleading language about trans people and objected to the choice of presenter for one episode. They also said the series should have been balanced by a separate series “about gender-critical people and the abuse and death threats they faceâ€. The ECU considered whether the two episodes met the requirements for accuracy and impartiality set out in the BBC Editorial Guidelines.
Outcome
The ECU found no evidence that the language used in relation to trans people would have misled the audience when judged in the context of a series which looked at the lives and experiences of people from the LGBTQIA+ community. It found no evidence that the choice of a trans woman to present one episode was inappropriate or that the presenter expressed views which went beyond what might be regarded as generally acceptable in the context of the programme. Finally the ECU considered due impartiality did not require the BBC to produce a separate series about the “abuse and death threats†faced by people with gender-critical views.
Not upheld