05/01/2026
Reposted from TACC
The Trans Advocacy and Complaints Collective (TACC) recently submitted a formal complaint to the BBC and sent letters to the Women and Equalities Committee, the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, and the Minister for Women and Equalities, Bridget Phillipson MP. Our letters set out the pattern of reporting that repeatedly marginalises trans people, the use of demeaning language such as the phrase “biological male who identifies as a woman,” and the real distress this causes in our community. We have asked the relevant parliamentary bodies and ministers to scrutinise the BBC’s editorial practice and to hold it to account.
This is a direct call to action. If you care about dignity, accuracy, and safety for trans people, please take the three steps below now.
What we are asking you to do
1. Email your MP using our template. We have prepared an MP email template that clearly explains the problem and asks your MP to demand that the BBC and the Government act. Doing this en masse will show Parliament and the BBC that this is not an isolated complaint. Key points to include are: that the BBC is publicly funded, that its own style guidance asks journalists to use people’s preferred terms and pronouns, that repeated use of phrases like “biological male” causes harm and may breach the Equality Act 2010, and ask your MP to press the BBC Board, the Women and Equalities Committee, and DCMS for action.
2. Sign and share our open letter petition defining “biological sex” language as slurs in media coverage. We are running an open letter petition that asks editors to treat phrases that reduce trans people to “biological” labels as harmful and to adopt editorial policies that prohibit such usage in routine reporting. The petition is a public statement. Our voices need to be heard.
3. File complaints about offending articles using the guide and template we have prepared. If you see BBC online articles that use demeaning terms or misgender people, please file formal complaints.
Thank you for standing with us and for taking action. Every email, signature and complaint builds pressure on the BBC to correct its harmful stance.
To find out more please visit TACCs website:
The Trans Advocacy and Complaints Collective (TACC) recently submitted a formal complaint to the BBC and sent letters to the Women and Equalities Committee, the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, and the Minister for Women and Equalities, Bridget Phillipson MP. Our letters set...
