Cbeebies

[runravenrun]

Did anyone else have cbeebies on this morning? During one of the segments between cartoons, the dog puppet gave a little spiel about (paraphrasing) how amazing clownfish are because they can change gender, and apparently there's another type of fish too that changes from male to female as it gets older, blah blah blah, isn't nature amazing!

I forget some of the details, but I noticed the "clownfish change their gender" line because it just struck me as wrong. Like, I've heard about clownfish changing their sex before, but they surely don't have a gender identity to change.

Anyway, just wondering if anyone else saw this, and also what people make of it. Obviously the clownfish thing is a trans talking point, which I'm kind of ambivalent about. I'm guessing this is part of the BBC's pride programming, and in principle I am ok with fact-based 'here are different families, people, etc.'-level stuff, but I'm also uncomfortable with the insertion of gender. When plenty of adults can't agree on how universal 'gender identity' is, it seems a bit bold to be introducing it as fact on cbeebies. Is this just me?

People are not happy on Twitter. Some poor sod at the BBC will be going through a lot of complaints in the morning!

https://twitter.com/Scot_Feminists/status/1665318191348719616?s=19

This should link to the clip hopefully

Thanks for the link!

I found the video on twitter https://twitter.com/sion___jones/status/1665293028448149504 - oh my days! The implication is transgenderism for preschool kids!

Ffs. Thankfully DD to old for cbeebies and i only allow streaming of tv shows now.

I was honestly going to say the clip was fine, it was just about fish, until it dropped the gender bomb.

Since when did clownfish have a bloody gender identity? Get to fuck, CBeebies.

Oh dear, they've mixed up sex and gender. How transphobic of them.

It's coming to something when they are shoving this stuff in places where it really shouldn't be. Surely at CBeebies age you stick to teaching them the basics of life. Not some obscure concept that they won't have a good of understanding in any way shape or form.

Yes, biologically inaccurate too.

It's grooming

Please consider complaining to the BBC.
I have just done this, it took about 5 minutes to fill in with an email verification at the end. You can ask for a reply, so I'll look forward to receiving this!

I would have thought Cbeebies would have been squeamish about using the word 'sex'. I suspect that happens in a lot of situations, creating the illusion that the terms are interchangeable.

I’ve just done this @LemonadeSunshine

I was dismayed to see Dodge introducing the idea of sex change to under 5’s under the pretext of ‘clownfish’. I was even more shocked to hear the factual inaccuracy that clown fish can change ‘gender’. The terms sex and gender have been conflated here- not that there was any need to introduce either inappropriate topic to toddlers in the first place! Shame on you BBC!

I was very disappointed to hear it too, we had it on for DD. In fact I thought my ears were deceiving me and had to double check with my husband if I’d heard what I thought I had but it went over his head. It really was completely inappropriate and unnecessary, I’ve no idea what CBeebies thought they were doing.

https://www.thepinknews.com/2023/06/05/peppa-pig-pride-month-backlash/

Peppa Pig creator's have shown support for pride month

Yes and? As long as they're not conflating gender and sex, or stating that people (or pigs!) Can be born in the wrong body, I fail to see the problem.

Do you have a problem with the lgb community @MerlinsLostMarbles ?

I've found the homophobic and transphobic comments on their IG amusing to read.

Add cartoon pigs to your very extensive list of orgs and products to boycott?

Why do you spend so much time telling women what to do, Merlin?

Because no one listens to them the first time!

Merlin can't quite work out if sex and gender are the same thing or different so changes the topic of the thread to talk about Peppa Pig instead...

Humans aren't clownfish

They wouldn't be able to use the word sex on a cbeebies show though would they?

Well, perhaps trying to shoehorn the concept of sequential hermaphroditism into a pre school children's programme was a bad idea then? Someone should have perhaps realised that when scripting this segment.

And as the video posted by @oldwhyno makes the point, what has the sequential hermaphroditism of some fish got to do with humans and LGBT+ pride month?

It's irrelevant to humans because humans aren't clownfish. But somehow those buying into this whole idea people can change sex, don't seem to realise that.