Thread by @TransMediaWatch

Dear BBC,

When we suggested, earlier this year, that you were affected by institutional transphobia your response was polite, predictable - and disappointing.

Basically "Oh, no we're not. Balance. Difference of opinion. Blah"

You ignored evidence that senior members in your organisation were getting involved to add skew to trans-related pieces in a most improper, unjournalistic fashion.

It seems clear, also, that you have ignored evidence, made public in pieces such as this, that some of your staff members are very biased indeed - some might call them "political" - when it comes to trans people.

jane-67706.medium.com/notinmyname-f0…

And now, we see your announcement that to attend an event where the "trans issue" may be to the forefront amounts to "virtue signalling" and is political and @BBC staff should not be involved in such stuff.

(Yes: we know you later rolled back on that, but the fact remains someone in your organisation thought it appropriate to say that)

All of which leaves us with some urgent questions to ask.

To begin, where does "virtue signalling" end? For some reason you wish to omit poppy-wearing, even though many – war veterans and young people alike - see this as a deeply political and flawed act.

Or what about fund-raising for the NHS?

All that Captain Tom stuff, which many would argue is a direct consequence of NHS under-funding and is therefore both political and virtue-signalling.

It is hard to know where to begin.

A with climate change, your desperation to force balance onto issues and turn all issues into debates, leads you to conclude that the moment a significant minority get loud on a topic, that means there is "debate" and debate implies politics.

Which in one sense is true and why you can never hope to provide a truly apolitical service. Because some aspect of every single issue is always going to be political in those terms.

6. So, what of women's fertility rights? There is a pretty loud and large lobby opposed to those (often the same people who campaign against trans people).

What about racism? (OK: we note you've already
taken a stance on #BlackLivesMatter, and it is equally craven).

What about wearing a mask? Even abiding by lockdown. Both of these arouse a great deal of controversy.

Will you now declare these "political" issues?

As for trans people.

They go to Pride for a variety of reasons. For some people it is about having e a good time: meeting with friends; chatting; dancing. Even, we suspect, getting a little bit merry.

But there will always be some folks waving banners asking for better treatment.

Better healthcare (which is why your NHS coverage is so political).

An end to discrimination. Inclusion within Sex Ed.

Because Pride was born in politics and a demand for basic respect and Human Rights. And if you think that those qualities are “political”, we really do despair.

Moreover, if you take that view, then there must exist legion other areas of everyday life where the BBC must now fear to tread.

Do you mean that some trans people take views on the Gender Recognition Act?

And if you think that, we are very curious to know why you think it is only trans people who take views on that subject: or what evidence you have that there existly some unique and monolithic trans view on it.

About the only thing we can imagine that makes us "political" is the fact that our very existence has been politicised by a very vocal minority within the BBC as well as certain right-leaning media.

We loads of receipts for this, so any time you
wish to see evidence, just ask!

We know that many of your anti-trans producers have attempted to turn trans people into a debate about the "nature of womanhood".

But that is THEIR obsession. Not ours.

If you were genuinely concerned about "politicisation" and "virtue signalling", you would today be asking your staff to stop attending meetings of Women's Place UK.

And you would be asking them to stop endorsing anti-trans campaigns that are tweet accounts and little else.

But do you see what you have done? The lack of decent healthcare, discrimination, violence against trans people.

These are all basic injustices.

But if your considered view is now that for any minority to protest about injustice perpetrated against it is to “be political” you have just outlawed protest, no matter how justified.

Worse, you have just decided that people do not have the right to protest against prejudice and discrimination associated with membership of a protected category recognised in law.

Or, and this gives us grave concern....

...you have bought into the lie that trans existence is itself
political.

It isn't.

We thought you better than that. Which is why we are disappointed.

And why we need urgent clarification and answers to the various questions above, both explicit and implied.

We look forward to hearing from you.

We look forward to, one day, engaging with you in a way that is more than your simply responding to our genuine concerns with a string of anodyne platitudes on your part.

We are waiting.

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