Belief

“Dancers who accused a leading choreographer of transphobia have claimed she has jeopardised their safety by publicising her resignation”, begins a BBC News website report today by the BBC's new culture editor Katie Razzall. 

[Some might call that 'victim-shaming'].

It's another 'trans war' story where a woman, Rosie Kay, felt she had to leave the dance company she founded because of hostility from trans activists. 

Katie Razzall writes, “However, in an open letter seen by the BBC, the dancers claim that, by going public, Kay has caused "potential detriment to our careers".” 

Does “seen by the BBC” mean 'handed to the BBC by an interested party with an obvious motive'?

Anyhow, Nick Timothy, former Joint Downing Street Chief of Staff to Theresa May, isn't too impressed with Ms Razzall about this, tweeting:

Given that this BBC piece will have been vetted by lawyers and various others, the intellectual dishonesty of sentences like, “Kay doesn't believe a person can change their biological sex” is depressing if not surprising.

Indeed. And you can bet your bottom euro that Katie R, culture editor of the BBC, would never dare write “Kay's critics believe a person can change their biological sex” - despite that being a lot more accurate. 

Tellingly, Ms Razzall's language echoes that used by Ms Kay's critics, quoted just a few sentences later:

The dancers behind the letter wrote that they "respect Rosie's right to hold the belief that biological sex is immutable".

It isn't a belief, it's a fact.

Update: One reply to Nick Timothy quotes from the article - the bit where one of Ms Kay's critics said "she is now using her power as someone that has a louder voice than we can hope for" - and responds: “...say the cretins who can command a fawning article by the BBC while Kay seems to be in the process of having her career destroyed”. 

As the great Ray Davis once wrote, it's a mixed up, muddled up, shook up world. And the BBC's not helping.