Readers of this blog will probably know that Jana Bennett expressed unease about children knowing the word lesbian. But that type of attitude, invisibilising LGBT people, can lead to prejudice and ultimately result in homophobic bullying.
A few days ago a 14 year-old girl, Belinda Allen, committed suicide. Last year an 11 year-old boy at the same school hanged himself as a result of bullying.
The BBC's purpose, it says, is "to enrich people's lives with programmes and services that inform, educate and entertain." So rather than keeping silent about LGBT news and issues, Newsround could help inform kids before all the playground gossip develops into prejudice. It will soon be LGBT History Month - an ideal opportunity for CBBC to grasp the nettle.
1 comment:
Wow tat is really shocking! I am stunned at Newsround's inability to drag itself into the 21st centrury. I have bookmarked and subscribed to your blog for future reading.
By the way.. are you the same David who used to post about bias on CBBC shows on the Queer Youth message boards a few years ago at http://www.queeryouth.org.uk
If you are please get in touch
david @ queeryouth.org.uk
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