Earlier this week, tabloid newspaper The Sun, ran their front page headline in reference to a drag queen giving lessons on gender fluidity to nursery school kids.
The Sun’s headline read “The skirt on the drag queen goes swish, swish, swish.” It comes at the start of Anti Bullying Week, during which press and media outlets typically cover issues related to discouraging bullying.
Newspapers like The Sun and the Daily Mail often run incendiary headlines. They do it because they know it’ll get people talking and fuel debate, gaining more attention for their title in the process.
Usually it’s something a little bit near the knuckle or a little bit inappropriate, and we just sigh and move on.
This time though, they’ve gone too far. At a time when the rights and lives of transgender people are still at a tipping point, The Sun are actively encouraging discrimination and ridicule, and directly putting the lives of transgender and queer people at risk.
Inciting violence and hatred against a minority group is illegal. This cannot be allowed to continue, and it’s our duty to stand up for our trans allies.
You can help put a stop to this by reporting them to the Independent Press Standards Organisation. They’re independent regulators of newspapers and magazines in the UK. Head to their complaints page now and make sure The Sun is held accountable for its actions.
