Teen drama misrepresents trans by making it edgy and cool (while of course GC people are the evil witches)

[mids2019]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c70zd31n2k0o

Really quite biased piece here relating to a drama which portrays a young trans teen as being edgy, cool and the epitomy of the rebellious teen with a plenty of a hardship narrative thrown in. Trans writer with no thought to women's' rights of the impact of puberty blockers. Quotes from GC campaigners threaded in to look cold and heartless in the language (middle class establishment against the new generation).

Oh and the lovely line from the author about the supreme court ruling 'we've got to rebel !' as if rebellion is somehow cool and the new protest movement instead of rebellion essentially meaning men rocking up in womens loos, safe spaces,sports etc.

Not great in my.opinion BBC.

Paris lees the criminal?? They made a documentary about him? Bet they left his crimes out, or did they portray those as “I only did crimes cos the evil TERFS misgendered me”?

Really? Interesting. Accidentally left out the article?

The crime bit is in the article.

I'm not from the UK, I know nothing about Paris Lees. So when I read this article, it felt like a complete tragic disaster of a life to me. "Teen from violent home doesn't fit in. Falls in with wrong crowd. Starts prostituting. Ends up transitioning." That's the summary to a misery porn story!

And it certainly doesn't make transitioning sound like something anyone in their right mind would want to do - which, you know, is exactly the truth. There's definitely nothing cool or edgy about transitioning. At the very best, it's annoying with a few painful episodes if you do surgery. At worst, it kills you from surgery complications or hormonal treatment side-effects. Who would wish that on anyone, let alone think it's in any way cool?!?

"Given the court's ruling, even the title of the drama is divisive. Some will take issue with it as it is inspired by the autobiography of the same name from trans writer, journalist and trans rights campaigner Paris Lees. And that's because they believe that Lees isn't a woman - and that the Supreme Court judgement supports them"

Is anyone taking issue with it? Maybe a few eye rolls but what Paris calls herself is not the issue. The issue is that campaigners like Paris have been trying to force others to recognise that identity and make it more important than biological sex.

Paris can call herself a woman a girl or whatever I am certainly not taking issue with it but am very happy the Supreme court judgement recognizes that under the equality act that Paris is not a woman and that women are not being forced to recognise her identity.

Well that's a complete incoherent mess of an article from the BBC - they can't decide whether they're pushing transactivism for teens, critiquing the SS judgment, publicising this for teens? or something else. There's a lot of information about him in this thread:

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/4832308-bbc-commissions-new-series-based-on-paris-lees-autobiography-what-its-like-to-be-a-girl?flipped=1

https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/may/30/all-of-us-felt-like-we-had-touched-gold-what-it-feels-like-for-a-girl-the-bbcs-electric-coming-of-age-tale

Guardian joining in too

The Guardian has a typically fawning article of the violent criminal currently calling himself a woman, but that doesn’t mean anyone else has to.

It’s great that he escaped prostitution and drugs (through prison, I think) and found a new life. That doesn’t mean he knows anything about being a ‘girl’. The title is goady nonsense.

And Zoe Williams complaining about drama that is too posh

The title is goady nonsense and the article continues with the goading by bringing up the Supreme Court decision.

Although that decision just makes me more relaxed about goady nonsense as the law is on our side

I think I’m right that Paris was in an episode of Hollyoaks years ago and was AWFUL. Like Geri Halliwell in SATC bad. I don’t know if Paris is in this show or just wrote it. Hopefully the latter. Either way I’m not in a hurry to watch.

But its not "cool" or "edgy", its old hat now, and starting to date.

It's never been cool or edgy imho.
It's often a cry for help from someone who is confused/scared/mentally ill/groomed.

It's trying to obfuscate the current court ruling by making 'a hard hitting term drama' that shows the world the type of oppressed young person the evil state is trying to stifle. There seems to be very bad misjudged aim to show the trans lobby as the force for good and GC people as the oppressive voice of older conservatism.

I am not going to judge it before watching but Butterfly did not last well

It probably peaked more people than it persuaded

Just why is the BBC so captured though?

Because under their charter they have to make sure that everyone is represented and basically quotas are filled.

It's why programmes like this and Drag Race exist because it allows the BBC to fill their quotas in a couple of programmes.

It's better to have "representation" in these programmes instead of the current trend of the BBC to include trans people in every other programme, like the news where they just happen to find an elderly trans person on the street to give an opinion.

I came on to see if there was a thread about the BBC article. It's an incoherent mess like a PP said. I was particularly irritated with this sentence:
"And that's because they believe that Lees isn't a woman - and that the Supreme Court judgement supports them"
I appreciate that GC views are protected beliefs BUT they are also based in actual facts and biology. It's like saying scientists believe that greenhouse gas emissions are leading to global warming. Not a belief, a proven fact.

Oh and also the bit about needing to rebel against the SC decision. So continuing to access single sex spaces. Argh.

I seem to remember Emma 'Mermaids Donater' Watson being interviewed by this criminal for some magazine, and gushing in appreciation when he handed her a copy of his book. She was grinning inanely the whole time and he probably couldn't believe his luck he was dealing with such a vacuous moron.

I don't have an automatic issue w the BBC adapting this book. Portraying the story should not mean condoning the transition. The issue is that that is exactly what the coverage on it has done. I wish the series would hint how Lees' abusive background led them to mistakenly transition, but pigs will fly before that happens.

Paris Lees thinks sexual harassment is a compliment: https://www.vice.com/en/article/enjoying-catcalls-paris-lees-column/

Shoved on BBC1 last night (2 episodes if 1 wasn't bad enough) the day after the equally offensive "Kissed" programme. Utter self pitying crap, portraying a lonely young man nothing to do with girls. Actually more like a young Autistic man close to me who similarly felt "everyone but me" was having a great time at that stage of life. (you'd be forgiven thinking gender is all part of Autism sometimes) Paris is often held up as the archetypal "passing" transwoman but he shows a darker side in common with so many men about women and girls.

What was Paris Lees' crime?

Robbery

ETA: Should have been more specific, sorry. Robbery and assault of an elderly gay man