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BBC (finally) upholds complaint on gender-transitioning article

Photo by Oli Scarff/Getty Images

The BBC has had its fair share of reporting controversies in recent years. But transgender issues have been a particularly difficult issue for the Corporation, with one video being lampooned (and then quickly retired) in January for telling children there are ‘over 100 genders.’

One article that caused particularly controversy appeared on the Beeb’s online website back in December 2020. It concerned a ruling by senior judges against children being given access to drugs that would allow them to transition genders.

The lengthy piece, written by the then LGBT correspondent Ben Hunte, claimed that the High Court verdict on puberty-blocking drugs could cause young people considering transition to take their own lives.

It included multiple sources saying that puberty blockers had saved their lives or their children’s lives, and that, by implication, stopping access would cause children to commit suicide.

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Steerpike is The Spectator's gossip columnist, serving up the latest tittle tattle from Westminster and beyond. Email tips to steerpike@spectator.co.uk or message @MrSteerpike

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