‘Nobody has a backbone!’ Bev Turner urges BBC staff to ‘speak out’ amid trans row

GB News host Bev Turner has urged staff working for the BBC to pick up the courage to challenge transgender issues, following the publication of their 100 Women list.

The broadcaster sparked controversy after including transgender Colombian scientist Brigitte Baptiste, who they described on their list as a “trans woman” who uses a “queer lens” to navigate her work.

Baptiste claimed in a 2018 TED talk that scientists had discovered “transsexual” palm trees, and has argued for the idea of “queerness” in nature.

Founder of BBC 100 Women Fiona Crack said they are “proud to shine a spotlight on these extraordinary women, from high-profile figures to those whose remarkable contributions often go unrecognised”.

She added: “BBC 100 Women acknowledges the toll this year has taken on women by celebrating those who – through their resilience – are pushing for change, as the world changes around them.”

Discussing the decision on GB News, Bev Turner criticised businesses and organisations for lacking the courage to challenge transgender issues.

“It’s inherent in most businesses now – they want to protect their mortgages, they don’t want to rock the boat,” Turner told GB News.

She added: “They don’t want to be the person sitting on the board table saying, hang on a minute, that’s not a woman. Nobody’s got the backbone to speak out.”

Commentator Mike Parry also weighed in on the controversy during his GB News appearance.

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“They’re having a laugh aren’t they? The sort of people who work at the BBC think this is very valid,” Parry said.

He criticised the BBC’s recruitment practices, claiming: “Literally, when they recruit at the BBC, you are asked questions like this about what you think about these subjects, otherwise you don’t get in.”

Parry also expressed concerns about the broadcaster’s management structure: “This is the only problem we see in the BBC at the moment. I’m afraid the BBC is now so big, so unwieldy, that nobody knows what’s going on.”

Former Labour MP Stephen Pound questioned the BBC’s language choices in the controversy.

“One of the citations from the BBC is that she looks at life through a ‘queer lens’. I’m sorry, what in the name of all that’s holy does that mean?” Pound told GB News.

Fellow GB News host and former Tory MP Miriam Cates offered her verdict on the BBC honour, placing her head in her hands.

Cates told the panel: “What is it about the BBC that they feel they have to nod to this progressive politics? Every single list they do, every curation of every story.

“It’s propaganda – everybody knows that’s not a woman!”