Tuesday, October 01, 2013

British children are getting yet another opportunity to see the Canadian award-winning series Wingin' It. The series was nominated for the Shaw Rocket Prize in 2011 by a panel of judges which included Director of BBC Children's, Joe Godwin. A Canada-wide kids jury had the final say.

I've previously demonstrated that Wingin' It is a heterosexist/heteronormative programme.

So where does the Shaw Rocket Fund stand when it comes to diversity? That issue was investigated earlier this year, when I asked the organisation if they could advise the extent to which they take account of LGBT inclusion when funding decisions are made. Their lack of a response suggested that it is not a matter of any concern to them, either now or in the future.

The BBC, on the other hand, including BBC Worldwide, is bound by Creative Diversity Network principles. So the question arises as to why Joe Godwin continues to assist the Shaw Rocket Fund. This year he was offering his services as a mentor for the Shaw Rocket Fund annual Mentorship Program in partnership with the Banff World Media Festival. Whether or not the Mr Godwin's mentorship expenses are paid for out of the UK TV licence fee is still unclear, and a freedom of information request to the BBC would likely prove fruitless.

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