BBC urged to use more lesbian, gay and bisexual children’s presenters
A review commissioned by the BBC has concluded that the broadcaster should be doing more to represent lesbian, gay and bisexual people on children’s television.
The study found that the group was still ‘relatively invisible’ on such shows, necessitating more ‘creative’ and ‘bold’ measures to redress the imbalance.
It’s believed that exposing children at an early age to incidental portrayals of minority groups can help to ‘familiarise audiences’ with alternative lifestyles.
Also in the firing line was BBC News which was told it should be ‘more creative and nuanced’ in its presentation.
The study concluded that the BBC, as a public broadcaster, should be a standard bearer for moral issues, noting that around half the population are comfortable with the portrayal of such groups on TV at present, with just 15% stating that they were uncomfortable.
Tim Davie, the BBC’s acting director-general, said: “The BBC has a fundamental obligation to serve all its audiences. In fact, it’s one of the BBC’s public purposes to reflect the diversity of UK life. This review underlines our commitment and sets a direction for the work to continue.”