See in 2024 with a panned episode targetting transgender kids.
What a tacky way to see in 2024…
In a disappointing programming move, Seven will see it replay its controversial Spotlight “Gender Agenda” episode at 11pm on Sunday night -effectively making it the last show on its primary channel this year.
The episode fronted by Liam Bartlett was slammed by the Transgender community for suggesting there was an epidemic of kids being brainwashed into transitioning, and later regretting it.
4 people came forward to complain about the use of their online images to imply they regretted transitioning. An online petition against their inclusion currently stands at over 53,000 signatures.
Seven later issued an apology for mistakenly using one transgender woman.
It isn’t clear if Spotlight has removed all the images of those who complained about being included.
As Mitch McTaggart yesterday remarked in his Last Year of Television special, Spotlight interviewed three people who regretted transitioning, including one American, Chloe Cole, who transitioned at 15. However the programme did not make clear that in Australia such surgery is not legal until the age of 18.
Vice Media also noted anti-trans hate was “rising in Australia because of reports like Seven’s Spotlight.” It noted a survey claiming 1 in 2 trans Australians has experienced some form of hate in the last 12 months and 1 in 6 had experienced violence.
Frankly, if Seven wanted a Spotlight special to see out 2023, it might well have used its John Farnham episode in which music and nostalgia might have been a better fit for the occasion?
Just without the Hey Hey footage of Farnsy singing with Tom Jones perhaps, currently the centre of another legal fracas…
