Over 21,000 urge Ofcom to take action against TalkTV for airing ‘anti-trans attacks’

Over 21,000 people have called on Ofcom to take action against TalkTV for airing “far-right lies”, including “anti-trans attacks”.

A petition published earlier this month urges the broadcasting regulator to enact sanctions against the UK-based media brand over the frequency of its critical coverage of trans issues.

The Good Law Project, which created the petition, accused TalkTV of failing to meet Ofcom’s broadcasting standards by spreading “toxic hate and far-right lies,” particularly against the trans community.

In just four weeks, between 16 June and 14 July, the right-leaning news and opinion channel reportedly featured at least 11 guests espousing anti-trans talking points across several of its shows. Conversely, it did not feature a single trans or pro-trans guest.

During one programme, on 21 June, TalkTV host Alex Phillips suggested that trans rights groups know that “giving children puberty blockers was evil,” while during another programme on 1 July, Kevin O’Sullivan accused a trans woman of trying to “pretend that he’s a female.”

Just a few days later, Julia Hartley-Brewer suggested that: “By definition, if you’ve had to get a piece of paper to say that you are a woman, you must accept then that you are a man.”

Good Law Project has since received over 21,000 complaints from members of the public opposed to TalkTV’s rhetoric, which it plans to issue to Ofcom at the end of July.

The non-profit’s head of campaigns, Agustina Oliveri, said the channel, which is owned by Rupert Murdoch, is a “desperate attempt to emulate Fox News” in the UK and condemned its amplification of transphobic talking points “without challenge.”

“This is unlawful and Ofcom must now stop sitting on its hands and act on the back of the deluge of complaints coming its way.”

According to Ofcom’s Broadcasting Code, channels must show “due impartiality” when talking about subjects relating to “current public policy.”

On 18 July, Good Law Project filed a formal complaint to Ofcom accusing TalkTV of breaching its Code by leaving the “highly controversial views” of its guests unchallenged.

It logged 11 instances of transphobic rhetoric during TalkTV shows, including an incident on 9 July, in which a guest suggested that the World Health Organisation (WHO) no longer classifies being trans as a mental illness because of a “cult-like mentality” to support trans people.

“Ofcom must take action to prevent TalkTV, and other broadcasters, from airing attacks on trans people without broadcasting the views of those who support trans rights,” the letter continued.

TalkTV did not respond to a PinkNews request for comment.