JL at the Glinner Update goes into the BBC’s history of inclooooding men on its lists of women to celebrate:

In 2013 the BBC pledged that it would better represent women in its international news output and launched its 100 Women List.

A good idea! But so briefly.

But only a year later this initiative was totally undermined when the list included a drag character, Conchita Wurst, the onstage persona of an Austrian man called Thomas Neuwirth.

With a full beard and Fabulous eyelashes.

In 2016 The 100 Women List included trans-identified male, Seyan Arman, a DJ and entertainer from Turkey. In 2018 it featured trans-identified male, Ophelia Pastrana, “An outspoken transgender media personality” from Columbia. In 2019 it included trans-identified male, Nisha Ayub, a transgender rights campaigner from Malaysia.

So, a drag character, a DJ & entertainer, a transgender media personality, a transgender rights campaigner – in other words not one of them did anything useful or particularly noteworthy apart from campaigning for a cause that harms women. Soooooooo why are they on the list?

In 2020 The 100 Women List included model, Lea T. Amongst all the inspirational and pioneering female scientists, teachers, sportswomen, politicians, aid workers, artists and activists etc was a trans-identified male who performs stereotypical femininity to model swimwear in Vogue and Marie Clare.

What I’m saying. The women on the list do big things, often dangerous things, things that benefit others. The Beeb puts models and media personalities on the list simply because they pretend to be women. It’s doubly insulting and belittling. The women accomplish something (a lot), all the men have to do is pout.

Last year there were two, this year were two. Maybe next year there will be fifty.