Trump-era FCC inquiry into content warnings for trans TV shows sparks backlash
Donald Trump (Getty Images)
More than 40 civil rights, LGBTQ+, and free expression organisations are pushing back against a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) inquiry that asks whether television programs featuring transgender and non-binary people should include specific content warnings or revised ratings classifications.
The inquiry, issued by the FCC on 22 April, asks whether existing television ratings should include advisories for “transgender and gender non-binary programming” or “the discussion or promotion of gender identity themes” so parents can make informed viewing decisions. While the FCC does not directly control TV ratings, advocacy groups say the proposal could stigmatise LGBTQ+ representation and encourage broader censorship efforts.
Organisations including GLAAD, Human Rights Campaign, PEN America, Lambda Legal, and PFLAG National submitted a joint filing on Friday (22 May) arguing that warnings tied specifically to LGBTQ+ identities would unfairly single out trans and non-binary people. “Content warnings that specifically single out LGBTQI+ people, including transgender and non-binary people, or mentions of gender identity on screen are unnecessary, unhelpful, and discriminatory,” the coalition wrote, as per The Advocate.
They continued, saying: “They do not serve to inform parents or guardians; they serve to further a strategic political agenda that has targeted a minority for exclusion from public view,” as well as warning that such policies could create a “dangerous precedent.”
GLAAD president and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis accused the administration of trying to control “what Americans can see on their own televisions” in a statement. She continued, saying: “LGBTQ+ people and their families deserve to see their lives represented in the media they watch. And media companies must have the freedom to create programming that appeals to their viewers and subscribers without interference from a government pursuing its own anti-LGBTQ+ political agenda.”
The FCC is accepting public comments on the proposal through June 22.
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