Complaint
A visitor to these online pages, subtitled 鈥淗igh-profile women speak about their work, life and ambitions鈥, complained about the inclusion of contributions from two trans women on the grounds that the contributors in question should properly be regarded as 鈥渢rans-identified males鈥, and that their inclusion indicated that the 大象传媒 was endorsing one side in a matter of controversy.聽 The ECU considered the complaint in the light of the 大象传媒鈥檚 editorial standards of accuracy and impartiality.聽聽
Outcome
The ECU noted that the trans women contributors were clearly identified as such, from which it followed that visitors to the pages would not have been misled as to their gender identity, irrespective of the terminology employed.聽 As to the accuracy of that terminology, the ECU also noted that the law recognises an individual鈥檚 right to change gender and to not face discrimination on the basis of a protected characteristic, and considered that the terminology employed was a more accurate reflection of the legal position than (for example) 鈥渢rans-identified males鈥.聽 As to impartiality, the ECU recognised that some aspects of gender and trans rights are matters of intense public debate, but considered that the inclusion of two trans women did not imply that no controversy attached to these matters, and was a legitimate editorial judgement as to whether the achievements of two people who identified as women and were widely accepted as such merited their inclusion as contributors.
Not upheld