India Willoughby: The toxic transgender debate is fueled by media misinformation
According to India Willoughby, the ongoing and “toxic” debate on transgender issues is fueled by “a lot of misinformation from media outlets that are totally transphobic.”
The presenter of Loose Women, Britain’s first national transgender TV news anchor, said it was “just awful” to be portrayed as “dangerous to society and undesirable” by non-trans commentators.
It comes amid the ongoing debate in Scotland over legislation allowing transgender people to self-identify and obtain a certificate confirming their preferred gender.
Speaking on the BBC’s Question Time on whether women-only indoor safety measures should be reviewed, Willoughby said: “This is a debate that has been raging for at least three or four years.
“It was incredibly toxic and it was horrifying for a trans person… to sit at home and see people who aren’t actually trans discussing your life and en masse portraying you as dangerous to society and undesirable is easy terrible.”
Another debate currently raging in Scotland concerns where trans women should be detained.
The placement of transgender woman Isla Bryson, who raped two women while posing as a man, and was taken to Cornton Vale Women’s Prison, near Stirling, has sparked public outrage.
In Question Time, Willoughby added that stories of transgender prisoners being placed in rooms with other women were “not true”.
It was incredibly toxic and it was horrifying for a trans person… to sit at home and see people who aren’t actually trans discussing your life and portraying you as a whole as dangerous to society and undesirable is just horrible.India Willoughby
She added: “There are bad apples in all walks of life. There are bad Protestants, there are bad Catholics, bad lesbians or bad gays, and yes, there are bad trans people.
“And all these people, if they do something criminal and are found guilty, they deserve to go to jail and be punished in a prison that’s convenient for them and where everyone else is safe.
“I’m afraid what you’ve experienced over the last few weeks, which is now self-evident, is a lot of misinformation from media outlets that are totally transphobic.
“There is absolutely no way that someone who has committed rape will be transferred to the women’s estate.”
In addition to her regular appearances on Loose Women, Willoughby is known for appearing on the 2018 series of Celebrity Big Brother.
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