BBC 2’s morning news and current affairs show, Victoria Derbyshire, anounced last Tuesday morning (May 3rd) that the number of under 10’s presenting to gender clinics in the UK has almost doubled over the past year, from 87 to 167, of which three children are under three years old. Along with this announcement came follow-up features and interviews with two ‘transgender girls’ Jessica and Lily (not their real names), whose lives the programme has been following for a year.
The full clips can be seen here:
The BBC seems to be intent on pushing only one “transgender kids” narrative to both parents and children. The unquestioning use of the new gender terminology by the BBC in their own report on the programme reveals their total immersion in transgender theory:
“Transgender is a term used to describe a person who doesn’t identify as the gender that was assigned to them when they were born – they may wish to be seen as a different gender or no gender at all.”
As a Public Service Broadcaster, if the BBC is to adopt a whole new theory of gender to explain childhood behaviour, then we could at least expect some definition of terms (what is gender? Who assigns it?) and some explanation, backed by credible science, about how ‘gender identity’ overrides and nullifies the biological sex of boys and girls. In broadcasting these stories with no debate the BBC is promoting the application of a completely new and untested theory onto children.
The stories concern two little boys who prefer playing with toys and wearing clothes which are marketed to them as only ‘for girls.’ The childish logic which says “that means I must be a girl” is reinforced by all the adults in this programme without asking the question “is being a girl defined by toy choices, clothes and hairstyles?” Rather than look at the broader reasons why a child may feel they are the opposite sex, the adults here validate the marketing message that a girl is a distinct personality type.
The acceptance of gender stereotypes by both children and adults is matched by an unquestioning adoption of ‘gender identity’ theory by the adults as the only possible explanation for the children’s behaviour:
Jessica: “I feel really glad I don’t have to do boy’s stuff”
Victoria: “When she describes her excitement at getting her ears pierced she sounds like a typical young girl”
Lily’s brother: “She’s still got a bit of boy in her”
To demonstrate clearly the difference between boys and girls, Lily holds up a blue doll to represent the boy she used to be and a pink doll to show the girl she has become.
Jessica expresses that her fears are “growing up as a boy” and “having a moustache and a beard” and when Victoria asks “What do you think you could possibly do to stop that from happening?” the answer comes “I’ll get blockers.”
What has changed so much that an adult no longer gives a child factual information: “a man doesn’t have to have a moustache or a beard” or “you could shave,” but instead accepts a little boy’s childish idea of what a man is and considers “blockers” a normal way to deal with that child’s fears?
When did we stop considering sex-role stereotypes as harmful and limiting for children and start to embrace them as not only true, but as the only real distinction between boys and girls?
The themes for every “trans kid” story are becoming depressingly familiar. The new ‘Lily’ is celebrated in a school assembly, where the Head teacher affirms the restrictive myth of “girl brains” to all children. All the girls want to be Lily’s friend; of course, Lily has become the most ‘special’ girl in the school. All other girls in the school have their ability to freely “choose” their interests and activities stifled even further as they see what it takes to be a “real girl.” The fear of being seen as “not a real girl” drives bullying; children (who are naturally conservative) imbibe the “rules” of society and police each others’ behaviour to make sure those rules are being followed. Those who don’t conform are bullied with some version of the judgment ‘not a real girl’ or ‘not a real boy’ and transgender theory agrees with the bullies.
Schools who have never tackled the real reasons for bullying get off scott free; they can now be seen to be supporting ‘difference’ when they are in fact doing the opposite. Would ‘Lily’ be accepted and celebrated in this way as a boy?
The BBC knows how to present a heartwarming story; by placing it outside of any wider social context or ongoing debate the viewer is emotionally manipulated into uncritical sympathy. People trust the BBC: on watching this programme more parents will be persuaded that the normal behaviour of their children is indication that they are transgender, and the numbers presenting to gender clinics will continue to soar.
By actively withholding any view which runs counter to the prevailing transgender orthodoxy, as well as any information about the reality of the life-long medical path these children are being steered towards, the BBC fails in its duty as a public service broadcaster to be impartial and provide balanced information. We urge everyone once again to submit their complaints until the BBC begins to listen.
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The “Today” programme on Radio 4 this morning, Friday 13th May included a piece by Seema Kotecha on the Tavistock Clinic with “Colin”, a “trans boy” aged 16, and Dr Polly Carmichael. John Humphrys followed on with a live interview with “Colin”, his mother and Dr Bernadette Wren (http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07b2lw5#play – approx 2hrs 10mins in to 2hrs 25 mins).
John Humphrys was not at all supportive! He stumbled when introducing “Colin”. Colin mentioned that he had found information on the internet. Colin’s family live in Brighton (this is where the urologists carry out SRS for men). The mother admitted that she had “cried buckets” and found the situation “very upsetting”. John Humphrys asked whether Colin had done this to seek attention. Response: there were other things “he” could have done that would have been emotionally easier. Might “he” possibly feel some doubt in the future? No, but Colin is not having any surgery or hormone blockers (so this is just a “social transition”). I was asking myself: So what exactly does “Colin” think “he” is doing?? Then Humphrys turned to Dr Wren, who said that they are now seeing youngsters who are not “psychologically in pain” but just uncomfortable, like “Colin”. She continued: The internet and present day society offer freedom from gender categories which “Colin” finds an “opportunity”. Dr Wren asserted this path was better than “domestic violence or losing their children in childbirth” – she seemed to rambling off the subject here! She also said that “it doesn’t really hurt other people”. There is a lack of empathy here. Dr Wren is forgetting that the mother had “cried buckets”?! At the end Dr Wren concluded with passion: “People have more elbow room now to think about how they want to live their lives”. Her patients had, “if they make a go of transition”, a “fuller, richer life, and they are more productive people”. End.
She had just slipped over her head – like a piece of clothing – the “mindset” that “gender identity” is a necessary uniform to finding a “fuller” life. That is the point at which “gender identity” became a reality!
With that conclusion it was another “warm bath” transgender programme, of which there a great number on various BBC outlets right now. This is not coincidental, I think.
Una! thanks for the description. I can’t stand to watch this kind of crap. My god! Wren sounds like a complete nutter.
And the line seems to be
“People with the other gender identity absolutely need to transition as a matter of life or death”
“Really?”
“Well, it’s more a matter of elbow room. There are so many opportunities now! So if people are thinking about transition they might as well go ahead and do it, because: fuller life.” Followed by a deranged smirk.
This is what happens when there are absolutely no objective criteria. No oversight of what these bloody gender clinics are doing. They are clearly intentionally expanding their pool of patients beyond those that the guidelines that were made up by researchers actually include. They should never have included children anyway. But the Dutch gender maniacs say not to transitioning including socially transitioning anyone before puberty. I wonder what they would say about going on the radio or television and presenting your social transition. Like Collin did. Hmmm ?
Great article!
The pink and blue
The BBC is providing one more example of the top-down nature of the trans trend. Liberals and leftists are self-deceiving when they represent this sort of coverage as a response to some kind of grassroots movement.
Keeping the world safe for sex stereotypes and basking in their own progressivism all at once.
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Under three years old?! Why aren’t the parents parenting these under 3’s (and under 10’s) through these phases? Not playing with the ‘right’ toys? Must be the wrong gender – quick, to the clinic we saw on TV!
“What has changed so much that an adult no longer gives a child factual information: “a man doesn’t have to have a moustache or a beard” or “you could shave,” but instead accepts a little boy’s childish idea of what a man is and considers “blockers” a normal way to deal with that child’s fears?”
^ It’s as if some of these parents are no longer willing to be parents (in case their child ends up resenting them?); like they don’t want to be seen as the bad person who bursts their child’s reality bubble. ‘It’s 2016 and anything is possible now!’ ‘You can be anything/anyone you want to be!’ ‘Ignore anyone who tells you otherwise!’ (Incuding your parents).
Have to wonder – how much of this is to do with people who were denied something by their own parents and have vowed to not parent their own children like that? Additionally, it’s a pretty common mindset now to let kids have/do/be whatever/whoever they want (and in the process often never gain a healthy emotional maturity to handle life situations like REALITY and disappointment).
“Jessica: “I feel really glad I don’t have to do boy’s stuff” – sounds like a spoiled brat to me? (‘It’s OK sweetheart, you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to’). It’s no wonder mental health issues like narcissism are so prevalent in the trans community.
“She’s still got a bit of boy in her” ?! Wow. Better make sure to exorcise that last bit so that one fully conforms. Why is no one explaining to these kids – at the very LEAST (as in, if they don’t want to/can’t broach the bigger picture) – that it’s normal to have ‘a bit of _____’ or ‘feel a bit like a _____’ (or a lot/not at all)?
It seems like these gender clinics are a growth industry – if as unregulated as someone mentioned, what kind of mental health professionals are they attracting? They might have qualifications, but qualifications do not necessarily make someone fit for purpose in all areas of their profession. Una commented on I Am Leo “The medical profession will not discuss this openly, but there is a lot of disquiet: many (physical) doctors profoundly disagree with the (few) psychiatrists treating GD. There is also disquiet even among psychiatrists.”
It’s so twisted, Orwellian:
From Wikipedia: ‘”Orwellian” is an adjective describing a situation, idea, or societal condition that George Orwell identified as being destructive to the welfare of a free and open society. It denotes an attitude and a brutal policy of draconian control by propaganda, surveillance, misinformation, denial of truth, and manipulation of the past, including the “unperson”—a person whose past existence is expunged from the public record and memory, practised by modern repressive governments. Often, this includes the circumstances depicted in his novels, particularly Nineteen Eighty-Four but political double-speak is criticized throughout his work, such as in Politics and the English Language.’
Misinformation; denial of truth; manipulation of the past; past existence expunged from the public record and memory – all quite fitting if you ask me?
To anyone who argues that it’s free and open to be able to change – it’s not exactly free and open if you change in order to CONFORM to something else instead; “I’m free to define myself by these other rigid stereotypes” (which are often adopted to the extreme in order to “pass”) – um, OK?
As TransgenderTrend said in the I Am Leo article: “Everyone being “different” seems to be OK as long as they either stay within their ‘gender’ boxes or change sex to fit their personalities.”
The “trans-trend is Orwellian” is indeed quite a nice description of the problem! 🙂
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