Transsexuals complain over ITV comedy

Transsexual groups have launched a campaign against ITV1 comedy Moving Wallpaper claiming it was gratuitously cruel and offensive to a transsexual character.

Regulators at Ofcom have received at least 60 complaints about last week’s episode, in which Georgina, a new writer on the fictional production team, is mercilessly mocked by other characters.

Among the campaigners’ complaints are that:

• She was constantly referred to as ‘he’, ‘she/he’ or even ‘it’
• Gender reassignment surgery was described as a ‘knock-through’
• One character threatened to grab her by the Adam’s apple, ‘if she/he still has one’
• She was the butt of further jokes about her ‘hairy hands’ and ‘stubbly face’
• She was described as a man in a frock and ‘a walking GM crop’
• The script used the word ‘trannie’ – a word which some protesters said was on a par with ‘nigger.

ITV has apologised for causing offence.

In response to one letter of complaint, a spokesperson said: ‘It is never our intention to upset or to offend our viewers but obviously for you on this occasion we got it completely wrong.

‘The episode did highlight, in a comedic way, the prejudice suffered by many, and I should like to mention that positive comments were made… in defence of Georgina to counter those made by Jonathan Pope [Ben Miller's producer character, pictured].’

Professor Stephen Whittle, of the pressure group Press For Change said: ‘This programme set out to belittle, abuse and insult a transsexual woman, in ways that were completely unacceptable and inciting public derision and hatred of transsexual people.’

A letter-writing campaign is being orchestrated via a Facebook group, which currently has 424 members.

Published: 2 Apr 2009