BBC Scotland Accused of Pro-Trans Bias

A general view of BBC Broadcasting House, in central London on July 10, 2023. (Lucy North/PA Wire)

A women’s rights group has made a formal complaint to BBC Scotland over a lack of balance and accuracy after the broadcaster invited a number of prominent trans-rights activists to discuss a damning report into children’s gender services in England.

On the day of the Cass Review’s release, BBC Scotland’s nightly news programme, “The Nine,” put together a discussion panel consisting entirely of critics of the report, which laid bare how children had been rushed towards inappropriate medical pathways.

And on the day after the report was published, while the public broadcaster continued to give prominent coverage south of the border, Scotland’s flagship morning radio programme focused on the rollout of a new kind of migraine tablet, which is already available for Scots on the NHS.

The campaign group For Women Scotland told The Epoch Times in an email, “We wrote to BBC Scotland to complain about the poor coverage of the Cass Report and the implications for Scotland.”

“What [coverage] there was leaned heavily on activists like Ellie Gomersall, who is a board member of Equality Network.”

The statement added that the Equality Network runs the Scottish Trans Alliance project, which was instrumental in setting up guidelines from the World Professional Association for Transgender Health for the Scottish NHS, and so Mr. Gomersall—a trans-identified man—is “far from unbiased.”

Medical Experts Not Asked for Comment

For Women Scotland added: “Medical experts were not asked for comment, nor did any programme push for answers from ministers. Some [news reports] ignored the story entirely. For a supposedly unbiased public service broadcaster, it was simply not good enough.”

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Dr. Aidan Kelly, who runs a private gender clinic charging up to £275 for an hour-long assessment and has publicly criticised the report, was also invited onto “The Nine.”

Mr. Gomersall was also invited onto BBC Scotland’s drivetime radio show on the day of the report’s release where he claimed—unchallenged by the host—that the effects of putting children on puberty blockers were “perfectly reversible.”

Mr. Gomersall describes himself on social media platform X as born in the year 1999, a columnist with the Scottish National newspaper, the Glasgow Green Party campaign manager, and a panellist for the BBC’s “Seven Days.”

The near 400-page report by Dr. Hilary Cass, former president of the Royal College of Paediatrics, found there is no compelling evidence that puberty blockers are safe and it could not be ruled out that they impact fertility and cause issues including neurological damage, while studies have shown they decrease bone density after just a year.

The For Women Scotland complaint was sent to BBC Scotland’s Gary Smith, head of news and current affairs, and accused the broadcaster of a “dearth of Scottish coverage” over the report, and of bias where coverage was given.

Health care is a devolved matter, meaning Scotland has its own NHS and health care policies. But while the Cass Review was commissioned by NHS England, many Scottish groups are concerned about transgender ideology and are calling for a similar review north of the border.

Concerns have been raised about the practices in Sandyford clinic in Glasgow—Scotland’s only gender identity clinic for children—which has been dubbed the “Tartan Tavistock” because of its alleged similarities to the now closed-down London clinic.

Concerns Over ‘Tartan Tavistock’ Dismissed

In an interview with BBC Scotland’s “Good Morning Scotland” programme on Tuesday, First Minister Humza Yousaf said the Scottish Government would review the Cass report, but would not spend “an inordinate amount of time” considering its findings.

Mr. Yousaf dismissed suggestions that the Sandyford Clinic should close, claiming it provided “exceptional health care,” despite accusations from the Scottish Conservatives, echoed by the Alba Party, that the SNP is attempting to ignore the alarm being raised.

Meghan Gallacher, the Scottish Tory deputy leader, on Tuesday attempted to force a ministerial statement on the issue at Holyrood but was voted down by Green and SNP MSPs.

Ms. Gallacher said: “The issues examined in the Cass report are extremely serious and vulnerable young Scots and their parents deserve to know what the SNP government’s response to it is. This deafening silence is unacceptable.”

On Wednesday, she tried again to raise the issue in Holyrood with a submission, but she wrote on X: “A portfolio question on gender care is not enough to question the near 400 page Cass review. I will try and seek answers from the Scottish Government on this important issue.”

The Scottish Conservatives’ concerns were echoed by members of the nationalist Scottish Alba party, with MSP Ash Regan—who left the SNP over its support for the Gender Recognition Bill—saying on X: “What is parliament for if not to debate the issues that matter to the people of Scotland, and what matters more than the health and wellbeing of our children?

“A ministerial statement must be made with urgency with a comprehensive debate scheduled on the full recommendations from the Cass Review and its impact for Scotland’s children.”

Laura Anne Jones, Conservative member of the Welsh Parliament and shadow education minister, said on X that she had encountered the same obstruction after she had a request for a review of the Cass report by the Welsh Government rejected.

Ms. Jones said, “At a time when this report should be properly discussed & recommendations adopted, the Welsh Labour Government are burying their heads in the sand.”