Butterfly - anyone watching

[ItsAllGoingToBeFine]

Opening sequence got pretty much all the stereotypes in...

I also can't believe a therapist would be talking about blockers as blockers. X is it's cancer drugs for starters.

When there is such an obvious parental divide. Of course a kid stuck in the middle would be traumatised and expressing that in a sorts of ways. They didn't even mention side effects

Oh and it was really strabge how they talked bout him whilst around him. They talked at him and they argued in front of him. But no one actually talked to him

And that mother just sat there after he was slapped. The sister was the only one who got off their arse to see if he was ok.

I didn't watch this but it seems like there is a suggestion in it that boys are automatically ridiculed for liking dance and it's indicative of being a girl or a girl thing.

My teen relative is an accomplished dancer (has done all the classes/grades) he often performs on stage and is hoping to make it a career. He isn't gay, has a girlfriend, friends of both sexes. He doesn't live in some super progressive part of the country and goes to an average comp. His parent's aren't super woke types, just average people that are proud how hard their son works at something he loves. He hasn't ever experienced, as far as I know, negative reactions for being into dance.

Obviously individual experiences differ from one another but it seems unhelpful to push a narrative that boys automatically become ostracised for stuff like that because I'm not sure how true it is overall.

I remember it was a theme in Billy Elliot also but that was some years ago now and I do think largely we have moved on from that especially with dance being popularised for both sexes in a slew of reality tv shows and competitions.

agree Giles it looked much more like a primary school dance which, in my experience, boys of any age would be happily accepted in joining in and not ridiculed by either the boys or girls.

I grew up in a very conservative small town and took up ballet dancing as a kid in the early 80s. We had one boy in the group (the other 2 groups were all girls). It was really cool, because he would take on e.g. the prince role, when we had our annual 'year end performances' in the town hall, in front of hundreds of people.

I never heard anyone suggest that this boy dancing ballet with us was out of the ordinary. Never. What is happening?

Radio 5 discussing this this afternoon. Asking for views on twitter

I agree with you - ova and deepwater.

As a PP mentioned, I thought Billy Elliott had challenged these sex role stereotypes decades ago.

Seems we are to be wheeled backwards yet again into "no son of mine will be a nancy-boy who likes dance" - (better be a girl then, mate.) It's a shocking regression.

OK the dance thing doesn't ring true at all. My DC is at a primary school where kids are far too entrenched in gender stereotypes for my liking but they ALL do all the dance crazes non stop - floss, orange justice, etc.

Even the title 'Butterfly' is offensive to me. It is suggesting that a 12 year old boy is not beautiful in himself. He is an ugly chrysallis from which the butterfly emerges.

I didn't get why they kept going on about puberty either. Was weird. He likes what he likes it's no big deal the problem was the parents

Just been declared a “must watch” and given rave, positive comments on 5 Live. Such a stunning and brave drama...

I have just watched it on catch up and thought it really well depicted..

Yes it is done in a stereotypical way, but to me gives a good idea of what a family might go through in this situation. Before this, I had no idea, but reading posts on here where most people seem to find the programme unrelateable, then reading tweets made by others who can relate to, and have gone through this, I’m looking forward to next week’s episode.

Not great viewing figures. 2.8 million for Butterfly, against 4.6 million for The Cry on BBC 1.

I'd imagine ITV would be pretty disappointed with that as they've been flogging it so relentlessly. For context, The Bodyguard got 14.3 million in the same slot.

Radio Times have only interviewed sympathetic voices. Very disappointing

Not great viewing figures. 2.8 million for Butterfly, against 4.6 million for The Cry on BBC 1.

Not good at all. Vanity Fair managed 3.1m for its first episode, even against The Bodyguard and that was a big disappointment.

I want to know where all the trans kids where when I was at school?

I remember a hell of a lot of tomboys (I was one) and a few feminine guys. All of these would be convinced they were trans today if they have access to the internet and all the ridiculous propaganda and 'find your glitter family!' manipulative bullshit. Also we need to remember, Mermaids are going into schools these days to peddle their crap. I do wonder how many 'transkids' come out after one of these groups went into their school to tell them that if they are not a walking stereotype they are trans.

Contessa The Radio Times did have an unbiased article "Born this Way" but it looks like it was only in the print edition . I cant find it on the website.

Basically telling kids that if you want your mum and dad to get back together you have to slash your wrists

Yes, thats how it sounds to me too.

I am surprised it was allowed to be aired, given that seems to be the main thing thats being driven home, ontop of stereotypes and 'get your kid on puberty blockers asap!'. Not surprising though, with Mermaids involved in it.

This genuinely concerns me, this TV show putting out there that the way to get what you want is to attempt suicide. I have never complained to ofcom before but I have now. Its just disgusting, to use suicide in such a way. But not surprising from Mermaids tbh.

The doctor saying that 'you wouldn't be told that now'...that the child is very likely to simply be gay...how true. Instead they would be shoved onto puberty blockers which create a self fulfilling prophecy as the brain does not develop enough to allow the usual coming to terms with either being gay, or just a feminine guy. I know TRAs don't like you pointing this out, but tough shit. Most kids DO grow out of it when left alone, and many of those kids will be gay. Noone 'grows out of it' when put on blockers. Blockers is 'transing away the gay'...and it will be a gigantic scandal in 5/10 years time.

Its like whoever produced this has never set fort in a secondary school in their life!

Or in a family.... How many teenage girls would ask their mum if they were going to have sex with their partner that evening.

Viewer numbers - we need to see next week. I am guessing though that a very large % were TRA's, those already involved with Mermaids or are GC (but I have no idea how they work out the figures) Average Jo(e) probably didn't watch it. (Neither did I come to that)

A gay friend of mine watched and was very moved by it, I would guess because he experienced exactly the same homophobic bullying as the kid in the programme.
Overall I don't think it's making waves though.

Viewer numbers - we need to see next week.

And we'll see what consolidated tells us. But 2.8m is very disappointing. I'd imagine they were hoping for more like 4m.

I'm Just watching his now. It's awful!

Really awful! Just utter crap.