BBC Under Fire for ‘Transgender Diaries’ Program Aimed at Children as Young as Six

The BBC has come in for a slew of criticism for broadcasting a program aimed at children as young as six, which tells the story of a school boy as he prepares to transition to a girl.

The program, broadcast on CBBC, follows a boy as he attempts to access drugs to delay the onset of puberty, as part of the process for having an eventual sex change, the Mail on Sunday has reported.

MPs and campaigners have questioned the appropriateness of telling such a story to young children, who may be easily confused by what they are watching. One mother, commenting on the program on the parenting site Mumsnet, said her daughter had questioned her gender identity and asked her “anxiously, if that means she was a boy”.

But the BBC has defended the show, insisting that it was merely trying to “reflect true life”. It said there was enough context for children to understand the theme.

Norman Wells, a family campaigner disagreed. He said: “It is irresponsible of the BBC to introduce impressionable children as young as six to the idea that they can choose to be something other than their biological sex.”

 

Read more: BBC Under Fire for ‘Transgender Diaries’ Program Aimed at Children as Young as Six