Channel 4’s Genderquake debate showed conversations can't move forward if the execution is backwards AF
Channel 4 has kicked off a season of programming titled Genderquake to unpack conversations that are developing around identity in the UK right now. It got off to an ambitious start this week with its two-part documentary of the same name – a show that centred LGBTQ voices, and explored the gaps in allyship and understanding within the community.
However, last night, after the final instalment of its forward-thinking social experiment, it returned to the tired old format of surly panel debates. Panelists, including Munroe Bergdorf, Germaine Greer, Sarah Ditum, Caitlyn Jenner, and Ash Sarkar were gathered to discuss the government’s upcoming plans to possibly reform the Gender Recognition Act (2004), including removing bureaucratic stoppages in the process of changing a person's gender on their birth certificate.
Trans activists had already submitted a letter to The Independent voicing concerns that the panel would require them to argue for their very existence. Channel 4 news presenter Cathy Newman, who chaired the debate, acknowledged this in the show’s intro by saying: “Some people didn’t want to take part tonight because they believe that debating all of this questions their right to exist.”
anyway TERFs are in a tizzle about being oppressed because the Channel 4 moderator suggested they should stop shrieking "penis!" over and over so if anyone wants to tell me debating is good I have a one way rocket into the sun for you
— Siobhan O'Leary (@SiobhanFTB) May 8, 2018
Despite these concerns, the show called upon cantankerous transphobe Germaine Greer, whose contentious opinions include comparing trans women to rapists for wanting to be included in women-only spaces. In The Whole Woman, Germaine Greer wrote: “When he forces his way into the few private spaces woman may enjoy and shouts down their objections, and bombards the women who will not accept him with hate mail, he does as rapists have always done.”
Pitting Greer against trans women is not a healthy debate, and to pretend it is is a farce. Such a regressive format can never push conversations forward, it only serves to drown them out. Without an unbiased chair, a balanced panel, and a commitment to not promote or provide a safe space for bigoted and harmful beliefs, minorities will never have equal footing in this format.
Transphobia was rife on the show. Greer appeared next to Sarah Ditum, who, at the mention of the word “pronoun”, launched into a speech about how people shouldn’t be expected to “learn a pronoun like it’s an extra name”. The showrunners also failed to tackle the heckling crowd, who subjected Jenner and Bergdorf to transphobic abuse repeatedly. Bergdorf’s requests for the audience members to be removed by security were ignored.
When it comes to TV debates, the lines have long been blurred between creating a valid healthy discussion that unpacks complex ideas, and simply baiting sensationalism. The obvious conflict arises not only because producers have to entertain viewers, but because there is often an underlying agenda. It's refreshing that, in general, more attention than ever is being paid to the diversity of panels – but the panel format itself is stale, rigid, and archaic, and it just doesn't make sense to package conversations about identity in this way.
Channel 4 failed in its attempts to unpack a necessary and urgent topic like gender identity (figures for gender trasition are rising sharply), and undermined the trans activists on the panel by allowing them to be shouted down and abused by the crowd. It's about time to stop asking trans people to defend themselves against bigots for an audience – there have to be better ways to progress conversations about gender than this.
#Genderquake debate was shit. Poorly chaired with no control, inappropriate panellists, idiot audience whooping and screaming like it’s Jeremy-fucking-Kyle Show, rambling, ad breaks every five minutes, poor representation - no debate at all. What a wasted opportunity
— Matthew Wood (@matthewhwood) May 8, 2018
There was only one non binary person on the panel and the only question Jen was asked was what bathroom they used... fucking hell this “debate” was a mess and disgustingly managed. you let the audience heckle the panellists and being disrespectful it’s disgraceful #genderquake
— jae | check 📌 (@queeryoongii) May 8, 2018
Apologise to Munroe Bergdorf and the trans community for exposing her to that vile abuse on live televisionhttps://t.co/JPcdWDBzxA
— shon faye. (@shonfaye) May 8, 2018
Ignoring transphobic comments and not removing a woman from the audience after her shouting abuse to a trans woman shows this debate is bullshit and not getting anywhere. Gender shouldn’t be debated especially with cis white transphobic women in the audience #genderquakedebate
— riley (@rileyblackheart) May 8, 2018
#GenderQuakeDebate was horrible. The fact that it happened is wrong. Channel 4 is wrong. The trans community deserves better.
— Lily🌹Madigan (@LilyTMadigan) May 8, 2018
Cathy Newman was a shit moderator. She is not politically neutral on the issue and it showed. #GenderQuakeDebate
— Nic Van Dyke (@ReclaimQueer) May 8, 2018
All trans panellists on #GenderQuakeDebate conducted themselves with respect, authority, lived experience & dignity. In spite of her memory lapse even Germaine Greer absent mindly slipped into taking the occasional agreeable position. Only Ditum clung to entrenched transphobia.
— Growing-up-trans (@DadTrans) May 8, 2018
Awkward how @Channel4 host a tv show about gender issues but cannot support someone affected by transphobia by removing them. If this was a proper workplace hr would be shitting themselves. Instead they carry on like nothing happened #GenderQuake#genderquakedebate
— e carbs (@iancarbs) May 8, 2018
Watch the entire show here.