Parents: ‘UK media are cheerleaders for harmful idea that kids can be trans’

The UK media has facilitated the harmful idea that children can be transsexual, a parental campaign group has warned.

Transgender Trend, a group of concerned parents who challenge pro-trans propaganda, says the media – and the BBC in particular – are responsible for introducing and normalising the idea that children can be ‘trapped in the wrong body’.

In an article published earlier this week, it set out the results of a study of media output from 1 April 2016 to 31 March 2017.

Endorsement

Transgender Trend argues that the media has facilitated a rapid public acceptance, not just of transsexualism, but of “the completely new belief that children are ‘transgender’, together with the idea that invasive medical intervention is a necessity”.

It says a quick search reveals that the “BBC alone has covered the subject of ‘transgender kids’ in at least 35 online articles, 23 radio broadcasts and 7 TV shows” in a twelve month period.

Its examination of newspaper coverage also found that 114 UK-based articles on transsexual children were published between April 2016 and March 2017.

After analysing the language in each of the articles, the group discovered an overwhelming tendency towards endorsing the trans lobby’s agenda.

Trans language

It identifies 25 articles that suggested a risk of suicide if a child does not ‘transition’, 67 mentioned drugs to help a child transition and 28 mentioned future surgery.

There were 36 references to transsexual organisations and numerous references to gender-neutral language, gender-neutral toilets and gender-neutral school uniforms.

However, across all the articles, the risks involved with childhood ‘transitions’ were only touched upon a total of 22 times.

In the research, steps were taken to remove duplicates, and the group states the findings give an overall picture of press coverage.

Figures

Transgender Trend was speaking after new figures emerged from the Tavistock clinic’s Gender Identity Development Service, an NHS trust which works with children diagnosed with ‘gender identity disorder’.

Referrals to the clinic have risen from 1,419 in 2015/16 to 2,016 in 2016/17 – a 42 per cent increase.

The figures show that referrals have been increasing at an alarming rate since 2009, when there were under 100.

BBC bias

Last year, The Christian Institute warned of a continuing endorsement of transsexualism in the BBC’s news output.

Simon Calvert, Deputy Director for Public Affairs at the Institute, said: “Whether it’s abortion, gay marriage or transsexualism the BBC has shown again and again that it is only prepared to publicise one side of the debate.

“As a publicly-funded broadcaster, with a large audience and huge influence, the BBC should not be an unquestioning mouthpiece for the harmful and experimental ideas of the trans lobby.”

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