BBC presenter Emma Barnett has faced an online pile-on from trans allies after she questioned why the new transgender CEO of an endometriosis charity was not using the word ‘woman’.
The controversy
The host was lauded by prominent feminists including Julie Bindel and Kathleen Stock for robustly questioning charity boss Steph Richards after her appointment as CEO of Endometriosis South Coast.
Listeners had widely praised the presenter and thanked her for ‘defending biological reality’.
But she was accused of ‘bullying’ and conducting a ‘disgraceful’ interview on Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour by critics including Labour MP Ben Bradshaw.
Richards, 71, who sparked controversy after being appointed to the top role this week, added fuel to the fire by calling the heated exchange ‘a missed chance’.
Critics and criticism
The trans activist was one of the first to criticise the interview, posting on X, formerly known as Twitter, less than two hours after the segment aired: ‘Did Emma Bartlett (sic) want to talk about #endo or the word “woman”?
‘A missed chance I suspect, to raise awareness of this truly awful disease.’
Later Labour MP for Exeter, Mr Bradshaw joined the criticism, declaring: ‘Huge respect to you and your colleague for withstanding the appalling presenter bullying and defending inclusive language and services.’
BBC defends the interview
The BBC has however hit back after an endometriosis charity’s trans CEO complained about being pressed on using the word ‘woman’ to describe sufferers of the female-only disease.
It hit back at Richards and said the CEO knew exactly what the chat would centre on and said it frequently discussed issues like endometriosis.
The channel said: ‘Woman’s Hour regularly covers all aspects of women’s health, including endometriosis.
‘Both contributors understood that the focus of this interview was the widespread criticism of the appointment of Steph Richards, a trans woman, as CEO for a women’s health charity.
‘This was a fair and robust interview and both Steph and the charity’s chair, Jodie Hughes, were given the opportunity to address this criticism in full. Such discussions elicit strong reactions from all sides on social media.’
Ms Barnett was lauded by prominent feminists including Julie Bindel and Kathleen Stock for robustly questioning charity boss Steph Richards after her appointment as CEO of Endometriosis South Coast.
