BBC presenter breaks impartiality rules by calling transgender women ‘males’ live on air

A BBC presenter broke impartiality rules by calling transgender women “males” live on air.

The broadcaster upheld a complaint against the Today Show host Justin Webb after he said “trans women, in other words, males” on Radio 4 last August.

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A listener complained to the Beeb that the remark showed Mr Webb – paid £280,000 a year – giving his personal view on gender identity, instead of remaining neutral.

The host made the comment during a discussion on whether male-born trans-female chess players had an advantage over women.

The BBC’s editorial complaints said the radio star, 63, “gave the impression of endorsing one viewpoint in a highly controversial area”.

But Fiona McAnena, director of campaigns at the women’s rights group Sex Matters, said: “By making clear that ‘trans women’ are male, Webb was simply doing his job.

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“By disciplining a presenter who states biological reality and seeks to inform his audience, the BBC has lost all credibility.”

The BBC also revealed it had received 287 complaints about its coverage of a story on claims trans women’s milk was as good as breast milk from biological women.

A BBC spokeswoman said: “The BBC’s style guide states we should generally use the term and pronoun preferred by the person in question, unless there are editorial reasons not to do so. In this case Justin accepts it would have been more accurate to use the term biological male.”