Mum of trans Big Brother star Hallie praised for response to housemate’s intrusive questions
Hallie’s mum Samantha shares thoughts on tense exchange with Farida. (ITV)
After Big Brother‘s trans contestant Hallie Clark “frustrating” conversation with Farida Khalifa, Hallie’s mum Samantha has been praised for her measured response.
Hallie, 18, made headlines after coming out as a trans woman to her housemates in Monday’s (9 October) episode.
The revelation led to a sweet moment as her fellow housemates shared their own pronouns, and Hallie later admitted she would use the prize money for to pay for gender-affirming care.
However, things took a rocky turn in last night’s (10 October) episode, when fellow housemate, 50-year-old makeup artist Farida, began asking intrusive questions to Hallie in a bid to better understand her identity.
“If a guy was to get with you would they be seen as gay?” Farida asked a wrong-footed Hallie, to which she clearly responded that no, they wouldn’t.
Later on, Hallie shared her annoyance at the line of questioning to other housemates, saying: “I was like ‘No I’m a woman, they like me like I’m a woman’. She was all confused.”
The two eventually cleared the air between themselves, but not before viewers shared their conflicting opinions on the matter. While some labelled it “healthy” and “well-intentioned” curiosity, others called it “inappropriate” and “wild”.
Following the episode, Hallie’s mum Samantha appeared on ITV2’s Big Brother Late and Live to add her perspective and share she was “so proud” of Hallie for “how she has handled herself”.
“She’s always mature and considered in her response. She is very mature and has grown up fast,” Samantha said.
“I had to bring her up fast to comply with the world that she’s gonna be brought up in because of being trans, she’s going to have different conflicts and have to deal with them differently.”
As for whether Hallie would have been upset by Farida’s questioning, Samantha responded: “No not all. She knows when to stop it if a line gets crossed, but she does also know that she does have to explain as well because some people, they don’t know.”
She continued: “And for all we know Farida’s never met a trans person before, and she said when she went into the house that she wants to learn things, and also teach people about her own religion and culture.”
Many fans on social media are praising Samantha’s appearance on the show.
“Farida wasn’t ignorant, imo, and Hallie handled it really well. I’m sure this conversation will continue. Hallie’s mum explained it very well!” one person wrote.
“Knew Hallie’s mum would be fab,” another added.
Big Brother continues on ITV 2 on weekdays from 9pm.
