BBC Staff could be suspended if they attend pride events

[ItsAllGoingToBeFine]

inews.co.uk/news/media/bbc-staff-suspended-attend-lgbt-pride-events-ban-new-impartiality-rules-742247

Given the author, I very much doubt the accuracy of this story

David Jordan, the corporation’s director of editorial policy and standards, told a meeting of senior executives on Wednesday that the new rules include a ban on attending “political protests”, such as Black Lives Matter events and LGBT prides.

According to sources, senior staff challenged Mr Jordan to extend the ban to pride events over concerns the BBC could be seen to take a side in the debate around transgender rights

TBH I don't particularly care about how impartial journalists are in their personal lives, but it's be nice to see some impartiality when reporting...

'Pride is not a political protest, it's a celebration.'

Tell that to my gay friend whose been going since the early 80s, back when you risked a kicking, being outed (not the same acceptance as now), and possibly then trouble with work/ family.

He'd put his head in his hands at your comment. He hates the corporatisation of it. The watering down. He says all these people who go now it's safe. Where the fuck were they when it wasn't. Nowhere in sight.

Fucking depressing state of affairs.

I believe the BBC has clarified, LGB is not seen as political, but T is.

Yes I’ve just seen this explained in The Guardian, it’s the T which is being seen as political, so I think the BBC are making the right decision here. And as someone else’s said it’s not all staff, just those who report on politics. I assume they can attend in a work capacity as a reporter, but not in a personal capacity.

I’ll see if I can find the Guardian link.

www.theguardian.com/media/2020/oct/29/bbc-no-bias-rules-prevent-staff-joining-lgbt-pride-protests

One BBC journalist said their manager had been told that growing media and political opposition to trans rights in the UK meant public LGBT pride events were now more likely to count as controversial events, meaning they would not be able to attend even in a personal capacity.

Great to see this because of all the hate directed at Lesbians and women at these events.

I really don't care what BBC reporters do or say in their off-duty lives, I just want them to do their jobs properly. And if they can't tell the difference between the two, then they need to go back to journalism school.

Great. In that case i'm 100% in favour. T people already have all the same rights as everyone else in the UK. What makes TRAs political is that they're using the T as a front to remove the human rights of others. Sadly BLM are also doing the same.

If you want to be seen as impartial then you can’t campaign. A former Lord Chief Justice was very firm on the judiciary not having any involvement in political matters for obvious reasons. The CS as mentioned above is the same. So I don’t have an issue with politically neutral reporters being told not to involve themselves in contentious matters.

No problem with this. I think the person who said it's only presenters — the people on camera — whom it should affect perhaps fails to understand the potentially vast team of reporters, editors and (I hope) fact-checkers involved in putting together a two-minute news story. If any of the links in that chain are biassed then what the presenter reads out will be biassed. So it's got to be everyone in news and current affairs.

Next — the police? We need the police to drop all the rainbows and unicorns stuff and concentrate on what they're supposed to be doing.

The BBC had quite a way to go here to get back to its previous status as a trusted broadcaster. They recently got a bollocking for a programme which misrepresented farming in the UK by focusing on stats from the US. I'm waiting for them to try and tone down Chris Packham, who is massively unpopular in some quarters for his complete lack of balance.

Sorry, that was a somewhat off-topic rant but I have felt a lot recently that there is an agenda being pushed, and rainbow unicorns T stuff is part of it.

I think some of the BBC social media restrictions are unreasonable. News broadcasters maybe (stop being frightened of the Tories Laura Kuennsberg please), but a sports presenter having a clearly personal opinion is not terrible to me.

So much for me looking for balance, this is how Benjamin Butterworth is presenting his article on twitter:

twitter.com/benjaminbutter/status/1321880627466174465

how are pride events becoming anti-lesbian?

@Shedbuilder

No problem with this. I think the person who said it's only presenters — the people on camera — whom it should affect perhaps fails to understand the potentially vast team of reporters, editors and (I hope) fact-checkers involved in putting together a two-minute news story. If any of the links in that chain are biassed then what the presenter reads out will be biassed. So it's got to be everyone in news and current affairs.

Next — the police? We need the police to drop all the rainbows and unicorns stuff and concentrate on what they're supposed to be doing.

biased towards not being bigoted towards lgbt people? How is that a problem?

@GrumpyMiddleAgedWoman

Sorry, that was a somewhat off-topic rant but I have felt a lot recently that there is an agenda being pushed, and rainbow unicorns T stuff is part of it.

What agenda? A pro-lgbt and inclusive one, what the f is wrong with that?

@LizzieSiddal

I believe the BBC has clarified, LGB is not seen as political, but T is.

Yes I’ve just seen this explained in The Guardian, it’s the T which is being seen as political, so I think the BBC are making the right decision here. And as someone else’s said it’s not all staff, just those who report on politics. I assume they can attend in a work capacity as a reporter, but not in a personal capacity.

I’ll see if I can find the Guardian link.

Oh so it's fine to be bigoted to Trans people, just as long as you allow the others to be fine? Tell me how Trans rights are too political

@LizzieSiddal

I believe the BBC has clarified, LGB is not seen as political, but T is.

Yes I’ve just seen this explained in The Guardian, it’s the T which is being seen as political, so I think the BBC are making the right decision here. And as someone else’s said it’s not all staff, just those who report on politics. I assume they can attend in a work capacity as a reporter, but not in a personal capacity.

I’ll see if I can find the Guardian link.

Why is that okay? Why is LGB not political, but T is? its ridiculous

proudmumo4, perhaps understand the issues some feminists have with trans ideology before you start saying trans rights are not political.

They conflict with women's rights, for one thing. They also reduce womanhood to presentation.

I welcome this. Things going the way it should be. Impartiality but may be a bit late for the BBC.

Because the redefining of sexual orientation, and also words like woman, are contested. The impact of these changes on people makes it political. The right to eg keep the word lesbian as meaning same sex attracted is a political fight.

proudmum

The issue isn’t rights for trans people per se. The issue is requesting rights that impinge on or override the sex based protections in the Equality Act. Gender Identity is not a Protected Characteristic but Sex is. Campaigning for a change in the law that many of use believe will be detrimental to our rights is a political act.

There are lots of political issues in current LGBT thinking. Looking through here:

www.stonewall.org.uk/help-advice/faqs-and-glossary/glossary-terms

will get you examples, such as:

Homosexual
This might be considered a more medical term used to describe someone who has a romantic and/or sexual orientation towards someone of the same gender.

Trans
...
Trans people may describe themselves using one or more of a wide variety of terms, including (but not limited to) transgender, transsexual, gender-queer (GQ), gender-fluid, non-binary, gender-variant, crossdresser, genderless, agender, nongender, third gender, bi-gender, trans man, trans woman,trans masculine, trans feminine and neutrois.

Why is that okay? Why is LGB not political, but T is? its ridiculous

To give just one example, because the human right (enshrined in th UN convention on Human rights) of women prisoners to be housed in single sex accommodation is in direct conflict with the demand that male bodied sex offenders be housed in women's prisons if they declare their gender identity [sic] to be female.

Or the right of women to have intimate health care exams carried out by same sex health care professionals - in direct conflict with some HCP's need to be "validated" as their chosen "gender".

Of course it's political.

Proudmum — the BBC not being openly biased against women (51% 0f the UK population) and their rights per the Equality Act 2010 would be a good start.

ProudMum

No one here has an issue with Trans people. We do have an issue with people demanding rights which directly affect the rights of women and girls.

We do have an issue with people demanding rights which directly affect the rights of women and girls.

Privileges, to be honest-they're dressing it up as 'rights', but they're demanding privileges.