On 26th November 2015, ITV's Loose Women decided to discuss children who identify as transgender and, as opposed to using the opportunity to highlight a serious issue and educate viewers, they used the opportunity to express ignorant views and belittle transgender people. 

Panellist Nadia Sawalha showed particular ignorance when discussing the topic. Amongst other comments, she shared a comment she heard from her step daughter, claiming that being transgender is currently fashionable with kids (just like self-harming and bulimia). This statement is incredibly damaging as it implies that being transgender is not genuine, but instead simply a fashion statement. When a person is transgender, or questioning their gender identity, the last thing that they need is for people to be negative towards them, or suggest that they are lying about their gender identity to appear 'cool'. Transgender suicide rates show the awful consequences that denying, doubting and mocking a person's gender identity can have.

Panellist Gloria Hunniford also added her (equally disrespectful) views to the discussion by talking about a transgender man she knows who is hoping to undergo gender reassignment surgery. In the programme, she not only misgenders him, but says:

"It must be so difficult for parents to deal with that... It would be bad enough if a child eventually had to have a mastectomy for health reasons, but just to look like a boy?"

As a show that goes out to millions of people, airing views such as these has the potential to encourage bigoted views amongst people watching the programme, which could consequently lead to negative actions towards transgender people. Furthermore, for transgender people watching the show, hearing this topic being discussed in such a negative way has the potential to be incredibly emotionally and mentally damaging. 

Loose Women are constantly expressing uneducated, narrow-minded views such as these ones, and I think it's finally time that they should take some accountability, and apologise on the show for their comments. Furthermore, I think it is important that, before discussing such topics, panellists receive compulsory training about gender and sexuality. 

I understand that people are entailed a right to their opinion, but when their 'opinion' is so uneducated, and being shared with such a large audience, surely the producers of Loose Women should be able to see that airing the discussion is likely to cause a lot more harm than good. 

Here is the programme in full: http://www.itv.com/hub/loose-women/1a3173a2430 (18:40 - 21:52)