The BBC has defended its editorial stance following a formal complaint over its use of the phrase “biological sex can’t be changed” in a recent article, rejecting claims the content was misleading or ideologically biased.
The article, written by reporters Aoife Walsh and Euan O’Byrne Mulligan and published in March, summarised key points from the Sullivan Report, an independent government-commissioned review into how sex and gender identity are recorded in UK data systems.
Led by Professor Alice Sullivan, a sociologist with ties to gender-critical organisation Sex Matters, the review urged public institutions to prioritise the collection of “biological sex” data. Sullivan warned that failing to do so could result in a “widespread loss of data on sex.”
However, the report has drawn criticism from LGBTQ+ advocates and researchers, some of whom have labelled its claims as factually inaccurate and accused Sullivan of lacking neutrality due to her affiliations.
One Reddit user, posting in the r/transgenderUK forum, shared that they had submitted a formal complaint to the BBC in March, specifically objecting to the claim that biological sex cannot be changed. The complainant alleged that the article reinforced gender-critical views and oversimplified a complex issue.
BBC Responds: Line Intended to Aid Understanding
In its emailed response, which was later shared publicly by the Reddit user, the BBC complaints team defended the article’s wording, particularly the passage:
“While people can legally change gender, they can’t change biological sex. This means a woman who transitions to become a man may still need cervical smears, and transgender women may need prostate checks.”
The BBC stated this was intended to “provide context” and help readers understand the implications of recording sex and gender data in healthcare and official records.
“We aim to make our articles accessible to a wide range of readers—some with expert knowledge, others with none,” the spokesperson explained. “We acknowledge the former group may find some of our writing overly reductive.”
The broadcaster also rejected the claim that the article was misleading and offered a link to another BBC piece on Olympic boxer Imane Khelif, which included commentary from Dr Emma Hilton, a trustee of Sex Matters, as a resource the complainant “might be interested” in.
Complaint Calls Out Bias, Oversimplification
The Reddit user criticised the BBC’s response, accusing the broadcaster of using “dog-whistle language” and failing to fully grasp the complexity of biological sex and gender. They further argued that references in the Khelif article contradicted the BBC’s stance by acknowledging that biological sex is multifaceted and cannot always be easily defined.
“The article later establishes that sex is made up of many characteristics,” the user noted, quoting: “It’s impossible to establish that everyone with a Y chromosome is a male,” and “the biology of sex itself is complex.”
They concluded: “Nowhere does it claim sex, or its many component characteristics, can’t be changed.”
While protests were held outside the BBC’s London headquarters in response to the article’s publication, the broadcaster has so far declined to issue a public statement. PinkNews contacted the BBC for further comment, but it declined to respond.
