BBC CHIEF STUNNED BY SECRET STAFF SEX SURVEY

Diversity boss reveals 417 workers are transsexual... as Tories launch gender review

THE BBC has more than 400 transgender staff, a confidential internal survey has revealed.

The figure represents more than one in 50 of the workforce – about four times higher than the proportion in the population at large.

And it stunned the BBC executive behind

the research, who described the total number of trans employees, at 417, as ‘very, very high’.

Tunde Ogungbesan, the BBC’s director of diversity, has now launched a major reform to make t he Corporation more ‘ transfriendly’ following the findings.

The issue of trans rights has divided Britain, with a split between traditionalists who believe gender is assigned at birth and progressives who believe a liberal society should make strides against any form of discrimination towards trans people.

Using personal information about BBC staff that ‘only a couple of people would ever know’, Mr Ogungbesan also revealed that 11 per cent of BBC employees were lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender. But he said he did not regard the BBC as diverse enough, claiming more lesbians were needed.

Of the Corporation’s 21,239 staff, almost a quarter declined to reveal their orientation. Of the remainder 2.2 per cent said they were bisexual, 4.8 per cent were gay men and

‘It’s one of the most important issues we face’

1.3 per cent lesbian. Of the whole UK, 2 per cent of people say they are lesbian, gay or bisexual, according to official figures from 2016.

The BBC’s research comes as the Government prepares to announce plans to make it less stressful and bureaucratic for people to be able to change gender. Equalities Minister Penny Mordaunt, who will launch a consultation on Tuesday, has told Cabinet colleagues she regards it as ‘one of the most important issues facing modern British society’.

Mr Ogungbesan revealed his findings at a conference attended by senior civil servants, doctors and transgender rights campaigners earlier last month. He teasingly told them: ‘Can someone have a guess at how many people have disclosed they are transgender at the BBC. Ten? Anyone else? Twenty? Not bad. One more? I will put you out of your misery. We’ve got 417... almost two per cent. That is very, very high.’

Mr Ogungbesan told the Westminster Social Policy Forum that the results would lead to the rewriting of the BBC’s ‘style guide’, which sets out the rules on ‘fairness and terminology’ at the corporation.

He added: ‘What we are on is a journey within the BBC... if we can create a culture where everyone feels they can bring their best work into the organisation and with that you can begin to change from within the thought processes and the ways people behave and the way they broadcast their programmes, then we would have achieved what we are trying to do.’

Last night, critics expressed fears t hat BBC producers could be forced to shoehorn politicallycorrect storylines about transgender people into programmes.

Nicola Williams, from feminist group Fair Play For Women – which objects to men being able to selfidentify as women – said she was concerned about possible changes to the Corporation’s output. ‘The BBC already refers to trans women as “women” without challenging the idea,’ she said.

The BBC’s t rans employees include local radio presenter Stephanie Hirst. And two years ago, it was at the centre of controversy over the CBBC series Just A Girl, which portrayed an 11- year- old called Amy transitioning from a boy to a girl. But it has also been accused of being transphobic: in May, comedian Peter Kay was criticised for a joke in his Car Share show about a transgender woman.

A BBC spokesman said: ‘Tunde was clearly speaking about the work we’re doing to improve the culture at the BBC. He wasn’t referring to taking an editorial position on transgender issues.’

WE HAVE all learned to be more tolerant of the many differences among us, and more generous and polite to minorities. And a good thing too. So who could object to the fact that the BBC turns out to have 417 transgender employees?

Just one niggle: we’d be surprised if there are 417 Tories working for the Corporation. True, some find it hard to acknowledge that others identify as Conservatives, but don’t they deserve a bit of tolerance and respect, too?