from Seen in Journalism
This month the BBC has published 30-minute podcast and a 2,000-word article to examining why Pride events are struggling.
It considers rising costs, corporate “nervousness”, Reform councils, “culture wars” and hostility towards trans people.
Yet it omits some significant parts of the story.
There is no serious discussion of concerns about sexualised content at daytime events marketed as “family friendly” – including fetish and puppy-play outfits, sex-toy stalls and reports of sex acts taking place in public.
Nor does the BBC explore the numerous safeguarding scandals involving people linked to Pride organisations
Like Stephen Ireland – co-founder of Pride in Surrey – who was jailed for 24 years for raping a 12-year-old boy and other child-sex offences.
It does ask one important question – in a roundabout way – that largely goes unanswered: has the increasingly political messaging around Pride alienated lesbians, gay men and bisexual people who no longer feel represented?
Trans contributors are named, heard directly and given space to describe feeling frightened and unsafe. The only substantial dissenting voice comes from a Reform politician. One unnamed gender-critical lesbian is briefly paraphrased but is not heard in the podcast.
The effect is unmistakable: one perspective is humanised, while the other is largely represented by a politician from a right-wing party.
That is not an impartial examination of why attitudes towards Pride may be changing.