Poll reveals 70% of trans people believe BBC News coverage is ‘hostile’

A new poll commissioned by the Good Law Project has found that a majority of trans people in the UK view BBC News as hostile towards their community. According to the survey, 70% of trans respondents described the broadcaster’s coverage of trans issues as “hostile”, while only 5% considered it supportive.

The research also revealed that 78% believe BBC News reports on trans rights either “badly” or “very badly”, highlighting widespread mistrust among trans audiences. The findings challenge claims from some commentators that the BBC is biased in favour of trans people, suggesting instead that its reporting is perceived as harmful by those most affected.

The poll comes amid ongoing criticism of the BBC’s handling of gender identity stories. Past controversies include a 2021 article alleging some lesbians felt “pressured into sex by trans women”, which the BBC later admitted breached accuracy standards. Other incidents, such as presenters making dismissive remarks about inclusive language, have fuelled concerns about editorial bias.

For Good Law Project’s executive director, Jo Maugham, the survey is “really important”.

“It’s the first of its kind,” Maugham said, “with a large sample size relative to the population polled, was conducted by a leading polling company, and has very troubling findings. Putting it shortly, there has never been more compelling evidence of how frightened trans people are to live in Britain today.

“Against that background it is appalling – although also sadly emblematic of the BBC’s editorial line on trans people – that it refused to carry the story.”

According to Elijah Jaeger, a researcher at Trans Safety Network, the survey is the inevitable result of the BBC’s reporting over recent years.

“For almost a decade the BBC has been platforming fringe anti-trans views as if they were neutral or widely held,” Jaeger said, “which has enabled a significant shift to the right in the Overton window.”