Latest news with #MayaForstater
Telegraph
19 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
BBC accused of ignoring biology with name of new drama about transgender teenager
The BBC has been accused of ignoring biology with its choice of title for a new drama about a transgender teenager. What It Feels Like for a Girl follows the story of Byron, a 15-year-old boy questioning his gender identity while growing up in Nottingham in the early noughties. It is based on the autobiography of Paris Lees, a transgender writer, journalist and trans rights advocate. Gender critical feminists have questioned the programme's title, accusing the broadcaster of being 'regressive' and 'homophobic.' The row comes after the Supreme Court ruled that the terms 'woman' and 'sex' in the 2010 Equality Act 'refer to a biological woman and biological sex '. The programme was commissioned before the ruling and the BBC said the title was a reference to the Madonna single released in the era when the series is set. Maya Forstater, who set up the campaign group Sex Matters, said: 'Presenting the idea of an effeminate boy 'becoming a girl' as an edgy coming-of-age story is presenting delusion as self-discovery. 'This series will promote a regressive, dangerous, impossible and fundamentally homophobic dream to another generation of gay young men. 'It is the same unachievable fantasy that motivates the scandal of child gender medicine, which has harmed so many gay teenagers for life.' Conservative London Assembly member Susan Hall, who is a vocal supporter of women's rights, told The Telegraph: 'Sex does matter, we do have to protect women's spaces. 'Whilst the vast majority of trans people just want to lead their lives in peace and don't wish to harm anybody, it has been evident in the past that this isn't always the case. 'I was surprised to hear that the BBC gave it the title it has. Growing up as a girl, I can imagine it is very different growing up as a trans girl.' Byron, played by Ellis Howard, begins a journey of self-discovery and self-destruction to identify as a trans woman as the plot unfolds. The lead character is taken in by a drug dealer called Liam, who begins a relationship with Byron and forces them into selling sex. Howard said he hopes the series 'humanises trans stories', but also 'that it blows the doors off so that more trans stories get made.' Speaking to NME magazine, the 28-year-old added of the drama: 'It's an incredibly authored, queer, working-class story where we really get under the fingernails of a community we don't often see on screen.' Lees explains of the drama: 'This is a proudly working-class story, and it needed a cast who could bring it to life authentically. We've struck gold with these highly talented actors, some of whom are already familiar faces - and some who are about to be. 'The biggest challenge was always the lead role – we're following someone who's going from, in the eyes of the outside world, a schoolboy, right up to a trans woman starting university, and all that's in between. 'The moment I saw Ellis, I recognised something in him - a cheekiness, a delicateness, a complexity - and knew he was the one. 'And he rose to the challenge, again and again. The chemistry between El, Hannah, Laquarn and the rest of the Fallen Divas is something you can only dream of in drama.' A BBC spokesperson said: 'The title is shared with the book and also references the hit early noughties Madonna song released when the series is set. 'The BBC has a rich history of bringing a wide range of culturally significant works and voices to the screen – and adapting Paris Lees' acclaimed memoir is in line with this.'
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'A cry from the council estate' - the trans teen drama that pulls no punches
What It Feels Like For A Girl. A fairly innocuous title for a teen TV series, right? But the stars of BBC Three's new drama say it's taken on a deeper resonance since the show was filmed last year. That's because it's a coming-of-age story about a gender-questioning teenager growing up in a working class town near Nottingham. And it's hitting our screens just a few weeks after the Supreme Court ruled that the terms "woman" and "sex" in the 2010 Equality Act "refer to a biological woman and biological sex". While some groups have celebrated the decision, some trans campaigners have expressed dismay. Given the court's ruling, even the title of the drama is divisive. Some will take issue with it as it is inspired by the autobiography of the same name from trans writer, journalist and trans rights campaigner Paris Lees. And that's because they believe that Lees isn't a woman - and that the Supreme Court judgement supports them. Hannah Jones, who plays sharp-tongued trans sex worker Sasha in the series, acknowledges the timing: "The title of our show changed overnight. You know, the whole meaning of it is exactly what is going on in the news right now. What does it feel like for a girl? The trans narrative is so different for so many people." Maya Forstater, who set up the campaign group Sex Matters, has told the BBC she strongly opposes the drama's narrative: "Presenting the idea of an effeminate boy 'becoming a girl' as an edgy coming-of-age story is presenting delusion as self-discovery." The series is a raw, hedonistic, brutal - but often hilarious - tale of Byron (Ellis Howard), a 15-year-old boy who is trying to find his identity and is desperate to escape the small-mindedness of his home town. In the heady days of the early 2000s, the teen (based on Lees) is taken under the wing of "The Fallen Divas" while clubbing in Nottingham, a group of hedonistic, anarchic outsiders who soon become a second family. But beyond the hardcore party lifestyle, the dark underbelly of an exploitative sex work industry lures Byron in. Local drug dealer Liam - played by Jake Dunn - is an intoxicating influence on Byron, embarking on an underage relationship with this young wannabee while also enticing the youngster into selling sex. Grooming and child abuse are a constant backdrop. "Essentially, he's Byron's pimp," explains Dunn. As can be the case in such instances, Byron is attracted to what he sees as someone with power, his own flat and independence - something he wants himself. "He [Liam] is very enigmatic," explains Dunn. "They [he and Byron] actually share a very similar back story. They sort of become magnetised to each other. [It's like] watching an unstoppable force meet an immovable object. "Part of Liam's obsession and desire towards Byron is because Byron reminds Liam of Liam at that age." Dunn, who hails from Nottingham himself, based Liam "off of two people I knew from Nottingham and a lad from Derby who really stuck in my head when I was a teenager, their voices and the way they acted". He adds: "At times Liam does feel very vulnerable in a strange way, and then he's also really hardened. And I think when you're working class from a place with no prospects, you're a survivalist and you'll do anything. "He looks out for himself in a way that is really scary and coercive." The drama also doesn't shy away from a serious crime committed by Liam and Byron (which led to serious consequences for Lees in real life as a teenager). Lees has previously said that, "for me, personally, the much more interesting journey of this book is the class transition", having become middle class in later life, after growing up working class. "I was living in a different city, I had a different accent, I had a different way of making money, shall we say, a different set of friends. I can't connect that with my life today. And a lot of it is the class thing," Lees told the Guardian in 2021. Dunn says of the drama: "The most exciting intersectionality of it is with the working class. What is that experience going to be for you if you are trans... and you are poor? What is the survivalist mechanism that exists for those people? "It's a hard watch but at no point did the humour leave, at no point did the heart leave. And that's a testament to Paris's life." In a Huffington Post interview in 2019, Lees acknowledged things were easier for her in later life. "I'm probably one of the most privileged trans women in Britain. If you're a LGBTQ kid in a council estate in Manchester and you're getting bullied every time you leave the house, you feel like it's not safe to go to school, and you're seeing all of this horrible stuff in the press – how is that going to make you feel?" Ellis Howard concurs, and says of the book: "I feel like it's a real cry from the council estate. "So you come out swinging as an actor because of how authentic the book is in terms of Paris's experience." Byron lives a very split existence, navigating a difficult home life with a macho father alongside a dangerous, illegal lifestyle on the outside. Things get more challenging when, as an older teenager, Byron begins to transition. There is one stalwart ally in the family though, Byron's beloved granny played by Hannah Walters, who co-produced hit show Adolescence alongside husband Stephen Graham. "We spoke a lot about code switching," Howard tells me. Code switching is the act of changing one's environment to fit in in certain environments. "I think it really highlights the pockets of Byron's life, where Byron is allowed to be who they are and where they aren't, or where they feel comfortable and safe enough to be," Howard says. "You can't do that if you just see all of the the glam and the chaos... we all have to come home, and what does that look like, and how does that feel? And I think it's incredibly pertinent for when someone is trying to figure out who they are. "When you taste authenticity, or when you collide into yourself - once you feel like that, you don't want to ever let it go." He adds that he has experienced this himself. "I feel like that as a queer person. Once you've felt liberation, one never wants to walk backwards, and so to be forced to is such an awful and really draining experience, but I think one that is really important to show on television, because it then begs the question of why our society forces people to do that." The trans teen drama comes in the wake of the UK Supreme Court ruling in April this year, that a woman is defined by biological sex under equalities law. The campaign group For Women Scotland had brought a case against the Scottish government arguing that sex-based protections should only apply to people who are born female. The Scottish government had argued in court that transgender people with a gender recognition certificate were entitled to the same sex-based protections as biological women - but it was defeated. Since the decision, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has issued interim guidance for England, Scotland and Wales for places such as hospitals, shops and restaurants, that says "trans women (biological men) should not be permitted to use the women's facilities". However, part of the Supreme Court judgement stressed that the law still gives protection against discrimination to transgender people. The EHRC also states that trans people should not be left without any facilities to use. Following the Supreme Court ruling, Sex Matters' Maya Forstater, said: "I think every organisation is going to have to tear up their policies and start again. It's much simpler than people have thought. There are men, there are women, there are spaces and services that are for men and women - most spaces and services. "And then there are things that are single sex – and when things are single sex, it's not the start of a negotiation." Laquarn Lewis, who plays the indefatigable Fallen Diva Lady Die in What If Feels Like For a Girl, says the show's characters are "just rebelling against how society is telling them they should be". "And that's exactly what we have to do with the recent law that's just been announced, we have to just rebel. Human rights must exist. The last thing we need to do is focus on such a small demographic who are a minority and just ostracise them and make them feel targeted and become victims." Howard is hopeful the show will be something of a beacon. "It's a really scary time in our culture, politically, and so hopefully what the show does is provides relief, but also community. Because I think we need community. We need structure and safety now more than ever." What It Feels Like For A Girl will be on BBC iPlayer and BBC Three from 3 June.
BBC News
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
What It Feels Like For A Girl: Trans teen drama based on Paris Lees memoir pulls no punches
What It Feels Like For A Girl. A fairly innocuous title for a teen TV series, right? But the stars of BBC Three's new drama say it's taken on a deeper resonance since the show was filmed last because it's a coming-of-age story about a gender-questioning teenager growing up in a working class town near Nottingham. And it's hitting our screens just a few weeks after the Supreme Court ruled that the terms "woman" and "sex" in the 2010 Equality Act "refer to a biological woman and biological sex".While some groups have celebrated the decision, some trans campaigners have expressed the court's ruling, even the title of the drama is divisive. Some will take issue with it as it is inspired by the autobiography of the same name from trans writer, journalist and trans rights campaigner Paris Lees. And that's because they believe that Lees isn't a woman - and that the Supreme Court judgement supports Jones, who plays sharp-tongued trans sex worker Sasha in the series, acknowledges the timing: "The title of our show changed overnight. You know, the whole meaning of it is exactly what is going on in the news right now. What does it feel like for a girl? The trans narrative is so different for so many people."Maya Forstater, who set up the campaign group Sex Matters, has told the BBC she strongly opposes the drama's narrative: "Presenting the idea of an effeminate boy 'becoming a girl' as an edgy coming-of-age story is presenting delusion as self-discovery."The series is a raw, hedonistic, brutal - but often hilarious - tale of Byron (Ellis Howard), a 15-year-old boy who is trying to find his identity and is desperate to escape the small-mindedness of his home the heady days of the early 2000s, the teen (based on Lees) is taken under the wing of "The Fallen Divas" while clubbing in Nottingham, a group of hedonistic, anarchic outsiders who soon become a second family. But beyond the hardcore party lifestyle, the dark underbelly of an exploitative sex work industry lures Byron in. Local drug dealer Liam - played by Jake Dunn - is an intoxicating influence on Byron, embarking on an underage relationship with this young wannabee while also enticing the youngster into selling sex. Grooming and child abuse are a constant backdrop."Essentially, he's Byron's pimp," explains can be the case in such instances, Byron is attracted to what he sees as someone with power, his own flat and independence - something he wants himself. "He [Liam] is very enigmatic," explains Dunn."They [he and Byron] actually share a very similar back story. They sort of become magnetised to each other. [It's like] watching an unstoppable force meet an immovable object."Part of Liam's obsession and desire towards Byron is because Byron reminds Liam of Liam at that age."Dunn, who hails from Nottingham himself, based Liam "off of two people I knew from Nottingham and a lad from Derby who really stuck in my head when I was a teenager, their voices and the way they acted". He adds: "At times Liam does feel very vulnerable in a strange way, and then he's also really hardened. And I think when you're working class from a place with no prospects, you're a survivalist and you'll do anything."He looks out for himself in a way that is really scary and coercive."The drama also doesn't shy away from a serious crime committed by Liam and Byron (which led to serious consequences for Lees in real life as a teenager). Lees has previously said that, "for me, personally, the much more interesting journey of this book is the class transition", having become middle class in later life, after growing up working class."I was living in a different city, I had a different accent, I had a different way of making money, shall we say, a different set of friends. I can't connect that with my life today. And a lot of it is the class thing," Lees told the Guardian in says of the drama: "The most exciting intersectionality of it is with the working class. What is that experience going to be for you if you are trans... and you are poor? What is the survivalist mechanism that exists for those people?"It's a hard watch but at no point did the humour leave, at no point did the heart leave. And that's a testament to Paris's life."In a Huffington Post interview in 2019, Lees acknowledged things were easier for her in later life."I'm probably one of the most privileged trans women in Britain. If you're a LGBTQ kid in a council estate in Manchester and you're getting bullied every time you leave the house, you feel like it's not safe to go to school, and you're seeing all of this horrible stuff in the press – how is that going to make you feel?" Ellis Howard concurs, and says of the book: "I feel like it's a real cry from the council estate."So you come out swinging as an actor because of how authentic the book is in terms of Paris's experience."Byron lives a very split existence, navigating a difficult home life with a macho father alongside a dangerous, illegal lifestyle on the get more challenging when, as an older teenager, Byron begins to transition. There is one stalwart ally in the family though, Byron's beloved granny played by Hannah Walters, who co-produced hit show Adolescence alongside husband Stephen Graham."We spoke a lot about code switching," Howard tells me. Code switching is the act of changing one's environment to fit in in certain environments."I think it really highlights the pockets of Byron's life, where Byron is allowed to be who they are and where they aren't, or where they feel comfortable and safe enough to be," Howard says."You can't do that if you just see all of the the glam and the chaos... we all have to come home, and what does that look like, and how does that feel? And I think it's incredibly pertinent for when someone is trying to figure out who they are. "When you taste authenticity, or when you collide into yourself - once you feel like that, you don't want to ever let it go."He adds that he has experienced this himself."I feel like that as a queer person. Once you've felt liberation, one never wants to walk backwards, and so to be forced to is such an awful and really draining experience, but I think one that is really important to show on television, because it then begs the question of why our society forces people to do that." The trans teen drama comes in the wake of the UK Supreme Court ruling in April this year, that a woman is defined by biological sex under equalities campaign group For Women Scotland had brought a case against the Scottish government arguing that sex-based protections should only apply to people who are born female. The Scottish government had argued in court that transgender people with a gender recognition certificate were entitled to the same sex-based protections as biological women - but it was the decision, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has issued interim guidance for England, Scotland and Wales for places such as hospitals, shops and restaurants, that says "trans women (biological men) should not be permitted to use the women's facilities". However, part of the Supreme Court judgement stressed that the law still gives protection against discrimination to transgender people. The EHRC also states that trans people should not be left without any facilities to the Supreme Court ruling, Sex Matters' Maya Forstater, said: "I think every organisation is going to have to tear up their policies and start again. It's much simpler than people have thought. There are men, there are women, there are spaces and services that are for men and women - most spaces and services. "And then there are things that are single sex – and when things are single sex, it's not the start of a negotiation."Laquarn Lewis, who plays the indefatigable Fallen Diva Lady Die in What If Feels Like For a Girl, says the show's characters are "just rebelling against how society is telling them they should be". "And that's exactly what we have to do with the recent law that's just been announced, we have to just rebel. Human rights must exist. The last thing we need to do is focus on such a small demographic who are a minority and just ostracise them and make them feel targeted and become victims."Howard is hopeful the show will be something of a beacon."It's a really scary time in our culture, politically, and so hopefully what the show does is provides relief, but also community. Because I think we need community. We need structure and safety now more than ever."What It Feels Like For A Girl will be on BBC iPlayer and BBC Three from 3 June.
Epoch Times
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Epoch Times
House of Commons Reviews Facilities as Trans Lavatory Access Policy Put on Hold
The House of Commons has confirmed it will wait for full guidance from the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) before deciding whether men who identify as women will be allowed to use female lavatories on the parliamentary estate. This decision comes after a landmark Supreme Court ruling in April clarified that the protected characteristic of 'sex' under the Equality Act 2010 refers specifically to biological sex, not gender identity. The ruling, which was welcomed by the government, permits organisations to restrict access to single-sex facilities—such as toilets and changing rooms—if doing so is a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim. In response, many workplaces and institutions have updated their policies, requiring staff to use facilities that match their birth sex. The House of Commons has opted for a more cautious approach. A spokesperson told The Epoch Times that the House is reviewing available facilities and offering support to staff, but will hold off on making changes until further guidance is issued. 'Like many organisations, we are awaiting full guidance from the EHRC on this issue. However, in advance of that, we are reviewing the facilities that are available on the estate and providing support to colleagues where needed. We are committed to treating all those who work in or visit Parliament with respect, and in an inclusive manner.' Related Stories 4/16/2025 5/1/2025 Maya Forstater, chief executive of the women's rights group Sex Matters, 'If one institution in the country should show leadership in following the rule of law, it's the one where the law is made,' she said on social media platform X. EHRC Interim Guidance On April 25, the EHRC released The EHRC also noted that offering only mixed-sex facilities could amount to indirect discrimination against women, depending on the context. It explained that while trans individuals may, in some cases, be excluded from facilities for both sexes, they must never be left without access to appropriate alternatives. To meet these needs, the EHRC encouraged the use of lockable, single-user rooms that can be accessed by anyone, regardless of sex. These are seen as a practical and inclusive solution, especially in settings with limited space or resources. New Code of Practice and Consultation A more detailed version of the EHRC guidance is expected following the conclusion of a The new guidance is intended to help organisations understand when it is lawful to offer single-sex or mixed-sex services, and how to do so in a way that balances rights fairly. However, the short consultation period has drawn criticism. LGBT advocacy group Stonewall said the timeline is too tight to allow a meaningful and lawful response. 'It will not allow people – including businesses, service providers, charities and individuals – to understand its potentially wide-ranging implications and provide a meaningful response,' the group said in a statement. 'It could be argued it is neither a meaningful nor lawful time frame.' A gender neutral toilet in an office building in the City of London on Jan. 11, 2024. Yui Mok/PA Stonewall also urged employers to be proactive in supporting trans staff by ensuring that workplace policies are inclusive and clearly written, so that employees understand what support is available without needing to disclose personal information. Public Response The debate over access to toilets and other single-sex spaces continues across the UK. According to a While most people (77 percent) believe the ruling will not affect them personally, nearly a quarter said it would, with slightly more women than men expecting to feel the effects. In the workplace, 26 percent of those surveyed predicted a positive impact, while 20 percent expected a negative one. Expectations were even higher in sport and leisure, where 41 percent foresaw a positive impact from the ruling and 24 percent a negative one.
Daily Mail
05-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Hospitals that still let trans women use female toilets are breaking the law, NHS bosses warned
Hospitals are breaking the law by continuing to allow trans women to use female facilities in defiance of the landmark Supreme Court ruling on single-sex spaces, NHS bosses have been warned. Campaigners said female employees are being forced to work in a 'degrading and humiliating' environment because trusts are still following outdated advice that says transgender people should use the toilets and changing rooms they feel most comfortable with. They urged the NHS Confederation to withdraw its 'legally illiterate' guidance immediately in the wake of last month's far-reaching judgment that the definition of a woman is based on biological sex rather than gender identity, which has already led to those born male being barred from female football, netball and cricket. Maya Forstater, of women's rights charity Sex Matters, wrote to the umbrella body's chief executive, Matthew Taylor, to say: 'The Supreme Court has now put it beyond all doubt that the terms 'man' and 'woman' in the Equality Act refer to biological sex and single-sex services. 'Yet the NHS Confederation is still refusing to take responsibility and withdraw its guidance and tell its members it was wrong.' She warned: 'Those [trusts] that are following the current guidance from the NHS Confederation are breaking the law. There is no reason for delay. 'The fact that your guidance is 'informal' is no excuse. It encourages NHS employers to uphold policies that create an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating and offensive environment for staff who do not wish to share single-sex spaces with members of the opposite sex, and to breach workplace health and safety rules.' As the Mail revealed two years ago, the NHS Confederation's guide also claimed patients have no right to know if they are being treated by a transgender doctor or nurse. It said patients cannot request a same-sex staff member 'if there is no clear clinical benefit'. Even those with dementia 'should still be challenged' if they express discriminatory views while their relatives should be 'removed from the premises' if they do the same, the 97-page document recommended. It stated: 'Trans and non-binary people should be supported to use the bathrooms they feel most comfortable using. 'At no time is it appropriate to force staff to use the toilet associated with their assigned sex at birth against their will.' The guidance was raised in the House of Lords last week with Tory peer Baroness Jenkin, who said: 'I ask the minister to join with Sex Matters, which has written to the chief executive of the NHS Confederation, in urging it that its current guidance is unlawful and should be withdrawn as a matter of urgency.' Health Minister Baroness Merron insisted: 'On guidance, the noble Baroness, Lady Jenkin, simply demonstrated the need to get language right throughout... That is exactly what will happen.' Health Secretary Wes Streeting has promised that fresh guidance for NHS trusts will be published before the summer and that he will not tolerate those that break the law. However the British Medical Association's resident doctors committee has dismissed the Supreme Court ruling as 'scientifically illiterate'. There are also still tribunal cases ongoing over the ability of trans women to use female facilities in the NHS. A group of nurses from Darlington are taking their bosses to an employment tribunal over the policy that allows a trans colleague to use the female changing rooms, with a hearing not due until October. And in Scotland, nurse Sandie Peggie's case against NHS Fife - in which she claims she was subjected to harassment by being made to share a changing room with a trans doctor - is due to resume in July. A spokesman for the NHS Confederation admitted last night: ' Following the UK Supreme Court ruling and the subsequent interim guidance from the EHRC, we recognise that elements of our guide on trans and nonbinary allyship are now dated. 'This has been reflected in the document and on our website. We understand our members will want to take the ruling and interim guidance into account in their local policies and decisions. Up until this point, our guide has been based on the Equality Act 2010 and the advice from the EHRC as it stood prior to April 2025. 'We will update the guide more fully as soon as the Government has responded to the EHRC's updated Code of Practice after it has been publicly consulted on, so that the implications of the judgment for NHS services are fully known. 'We will continue to work with our members while we do this. The resource on our website remains as guidance and is not official policy for the NHS.'
