A BBC social media account posted undercover tweets saying “people can’t change gender” and “sex is immutable” in response to an episode of Doctor Who.
Trans character Rose Noble, played by Yasmin Finney, who is trans, appeared for the first time in the 60th anniversary special episodes of the science fiction series.
While Finney’s performance was widely praised, the BBC received 144 complaints from viewers who claimed the writers’ inclusion of the character in the series was “inappropriate”.
The national broadcaster has been asked to allow fans of the series to “respectfully disagree” after Doctor Who’s official X account, run by BBC Studios, the company’s commercial arm, suppressed dozens of posts in response to a clip of Finney speaking. about the new role.
Finney was heard saying: “He’s a new character, a fresh, very confident young, young, gay person… It’s a representation that I’ve never had, a representation that a lot of the younger generation will have, so it’s really exciting.”
Viewers’ posts, which were hidden by the account (meaning they were only visible in the ‘hidden replies’ section on the platform) included: “Why is this show anti-woman? People can’t change gender” and “My partner, a biologist, says gender is immutable and binary… Stop shining a light on us ”.
Another post read: “BBC [is] We are pushing for ‘TQ+’ no matter what. A publicly funded broadcaster should not be so ideologically focused. #DefundedBBC.”
‘Highly inappropriate’
Conservative Party deputy leader Brendan Clarke-Smith said: “If they are going to start making ridiculous statements about sex and gender then they should expect people to respectfully disagree online.
“They should not make changes to their social media accounts to eliminate any negative comments. People grew up with Doctor Who and want to see the real McCoy, not a vigilante lecture.
“It’s ironic that Cybermen – or Cybermen, as they’re probably called now – are turning people into more Cybermen, stripping them of their emotions and personalities. Nowadays that would probably qualify them for a position at the BBC.”
Maya Forstater, chief executive of campaign group Sex Matters, said guidelines for moderating BBC social media accounts state moderation should be “light touch” and focus on personal attacks and offensive language.
“So why is an official BBC account actively hiding realistic comments stating biological facts such as humans cannot change gender?” Miss Forstater said.
“Years of pandering to and investing in trans-activist organizations has led to harmful gender identity ideology infiltrating the BBC, and this can be seen in everything from news to current affairs to children’s programmes.
“It is highly inappropriate for a national broadcaster, funded by taxpayers and with a statutory duty, to be impartial to police comments like an ideologically motivated extremist responsible for a fringe account.”
‘Filled with absolute hatred and poison’
Episodes of the show featured the character Rose referencing “something a male presenting Time Lord would never understand”, and also referenced Catherine Tate’s use of the word “binary” in a 2008 episode in the context of a reference to being a “non-binary”. -dual.
In the episode, when the Doctor, played by David Tennant, said about an alien, “I promise I can help get him home,” Rose was heard responding: “You think ‘it’ is a pronoun?”
In a statement responding to complaints about the character, the BBC emphasized that Doctor Who “proudly celebrates diversity and always reflects the world we live in.”
Showrunner Russell T Davies, who rejoined the series after resigning in 2009, added that those opposed to Finney’s casting were “full of absolute hatred, spite, destruction and violence”, adding: “Shame on you, good luck with your life.” living lonely lives.”
Finney had previously said: “Any ongoing franchises [for] If you see a black trans woman playing this role years from now, people will have their own opinions.
“It’s funny because when I get a hate comment it’ll be like: ‘Your acting was so bad and I hate trans people.’ Fair enough, you had one idea, but it’s a little unfair when you tie my identity to it.
A BBC spokesperson said: “Like many organizations and brands, all social media channels managed by BBC Studios, including Doctor Who, have moderation processes in place to suppress harmful or offensive language. We always keep the criteria and guidelines for moderation under review.”