Homosexuality is...

[Funforeveryone]

From the BBC News Style Guide:
"Homosexual means people of either sex who are attracted to people of their own gender"
So I complained about this about 7 months ago, pointing out that it went against the dictionary and medical definitions, took the word from people who are same sex attracted, etc. The BBC responded that their definition of homosexuality had been decided on by them independently while taking into account the views of others, blah blah. A non response.
I complained again, so about 6 months ago. They have finally responded without even any pretence at an attempt at justifying their definition. Any thoughts / suggestions welcome.

"We appreciate you disagree with the definition and although we have no current plans to amend it, we keep the style guide constantly under review.

This concludes Stage 1 of our complaints process. That means we can’t correspond with you further here. If you remain unhappy, you can now contact the BBC’s Executive Complaints Unit (ECU). The ECU is Stage 2 of the BBC’s complaints process. You’ll need to explain why you think there’s a potential breach of standards, or if the issue is significant and should still be investigated. Please do so within 20 working days of this reply.

I also made a Freedom of Information Act request relating to this definition, but the news side of the BBC is apparently exempt from the Act, and they refused it on that basis.

think the “of either sex” is a type of prudish (and incorrect) way of stating “sexually attracted”.

Without it, the definition is “people who are attracted to people of their own gender”.

But someone could be intellectually or physically attracted to someone of their own gender/sex without wanting to have sex with them.

No, I disagree. It's trying to make absolutely clear that sex is irrelevant. It doesn't make sense otherwise.

“(1)Sexual orientation means a person's sexual orientation towards—

(a)persons of the same sex,

(b)persons of the opposite sex, or

(c)persons of either sex.”

As homosexuality is an orientation. and the Equalities Act refers to sex, might this be used as a basis for arguing against the BBC’s use of the word ‘gender’ instead?

Yes I think so. They are going further than just substituting gender for sex as a supposedly interchangeable term. They are erasing the whole concept of homosexuality.

@Ereshkigalangcleg

Yes I think so. They are going further than just substituting gender for sex as a supposedly interchangeable term. They are erasing the whole concept of homosexuality.

Yes they are. And they can't. Because they will not be able to monitor discrimination based on the definition of sex in the equality act.

Are they going to monitor whether or not they are homophobic, if they're definition of it is nonsense.

"Homosexual means people of either sex who are attracted to people of their own gender"

It just doesn't make sense. How do you know what gender someone is these days just by looking at them? Apparently, there are very many genders, and people can change gender on a day to day basis - or so I'm told.

Am I right in thinking that somewhere the terms ‘sex’ and ‘gender’ were defined quite recently in legal context?

Something to the effect that sex was biological and gender social?

So no-one is homosexual but homogenderal now?

@ScrollingLeaves

Am I right in thinking that somewhere the terms ‘sex’ and ‘gender’ were defined quite recently in legal context?

Something to the effect that sex was biological and gender social?

I don't think there's ever been any legal definition of the term gender.

Since it's entirely subjective and can change from person to person, and indeed in one person from hour to hour, I can't see how there could be.

I don't think I'll ever get over Stonewall, the biggest homosexual advocacy group probably in history, now deciding it doesn't exist. That it is actually transphobic to claim it.

And getting the BBC to go along with them.

@ScrollingLeaves

“(1)Sexual orientation means a person's sexual orientation towards—

(a)persons of the same sex,

(b)persons of the opposite sex, or

(c)persons of either sex.”

As homosexuality is an orientation. and the Equalities Act refers to sex, might this be used as a basis for arguing against the BBC’s use of the word ‘gender’ instead?

I raised the Equality Act definition in my original complaint. The thing is that the BBC clearly doesn't have what we would think of as a complaints process, where transgender issues are concerned. Not only did they completely ignore their own time limits for responding (by many months), their response to a complaint is simply to state that they disagree with the complainant, without saying why they disagree. So the real life complaints process now seems to be:

1. You can send us a complaint if you wish.
2. We will ignore it if we wish.
3. If we decide to contact you, we will do so when we wish to, regardless of the time limit in the written process.
4. Regardless of the merits of your complaint, our response to it may be limited to one sentence, telling you that we don't agree with what you say. [/ if your complaint relates to transgender rights and is one that it is impossible for us to argue against, we will not argue against it but will simply tell you that you are wrong and do not have the right to contact us further].

Escalate to the executive complaints unit.