7NEWS Spotlight's episode on detransitioners is a lesson in how anti-trans propaganda is spread
“I f^cking despise you channel 7 and what you have done to trans people in this country.”
Way back in (*checks notes*) July, Four Corners delivered a report which splendidly showcased why the relentless chase for “balance” is a half-baked excuse to give a platform for hate groups whilst trans kids are suffering, or worse, due to lack of accessible healthcare. Not to be outdone in misrepresenting the facts just to keep the hate groups happy, Channel 7 says hold my beer.
7NEWS Spotlight, the same current affairs programme that gave a platform to Bruce Lehrmann just a few weeks ago, has run an episode on every transphobe’s favourite topic, De-Transitioning. And no, it didn’t contain relevant information, such as the study which shows that 98% of people who undergo trans healthcare hold no regrets (way above the usual average for healthcare), that medications such as puberty blockers are reversible or that that trans healthcare is woefully lacking in resources with sometimes tragic consequences.
Instead Liam Bartlett, a long-time investigative journalist mainly known for being on 60 Minutes, didn’t even try to come across as balanced, happily using his platform as a journalist to interview a mish-mash of transphobic parents, anti-trans detransitioners, and disgraced medical pracitioners.
And if you want to see the effects of this, you can check out several responses to the story on social media. Lilah TheyPG perhaps put it best, “I f^cking despise you channel 7 and what you have done to trans people in this country.”
In a day and age in which transgender people are the pariah of the far-right, it should be expected that pieces such as this would be trotted out by our conservative media – if anything, this horrible story can be used as a big demonstration of how anti-trans propaganda works.
Detransitioners, people who have reverted back to their assigned gender after a period of living as a trans person, largely remain part of the queer community after detransition and widely support trans rights. Nonetheless, as with every minority group, a few decide to join the far-right cause. Their stories then often just get pushed around for far-right talking points to imply that trans healthcare is being spread too widely and needs to be scaled back.
Obviously, these points are targeted towards a certain audience – usually older, conservative-leaning parents with less than stellar views on bodily autonomy or the rights of children – to portray young people as susceptible, risk-taking and in need of parental control, in case they also be caught up in the trans fanasties and end up a sad, regretful detransitioner. This can be seen with the fact that Liam interviews several parents in this piece, including one who has affiliation with anti-gay marri – sorry, anti-trans hate group Binary Australia.
Chloe Cole, one of the detransitioners interviewed for this piece is perhaps the anti-trans movement’s biggest star. Her story of transitioning as a 12-year-old, undergoing top surgery, then later regretting the procedure at 17, has been told around the world, to literally anyone who will buy it, including the far-right organisation Turning Point USA.
On the other side, the only pro-trans voice in this piece didn’t even come from a trans person. Trans people were featured, but only through segments containing TikTok videos, which again heightens the idea of a “reckless and dangerous” trans movement coming for your children through youth-associated apps like this, which as we know is already the target of scare campaigns. The only pro-trans person interviewed was Ian Hickie, a Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Sydney, who got 5 minutes of the 50 minutes in the piece, as token “balance” due to his advocacy for transgender health care.
Grace Hyland, one of the trans people Channel 7 tried to include in the piece through inclusion of her TikTok videos, demanded her exclusion from the piece due to the nature of its content and its suggestion that she may have regretted her transition as a minor. “I transitioned at 13 and I don’t regret it at all,” Hyland declared on TikTok. In earlier interviews back in 2021, Grace even spoke of how difficult accessing gender affirming care was for her as a minor, despite this piece’s whole sequence of lies about it being far too easy for silly, susceptible, lost teenagers. As a result, her image was taken out of the promos on social media.
“Gender affirming healthcare in Australia needs more funding, it doesn’t need this negativity,” she said. “And even though my face is in this, I don’t agree with it, I don’t stand for this story, I don’t stand for the sensationalism of this whole thing. Don’t get it twisted Channel 7.”
Anyone who watched the Four Corners piece will remember the story of Noah, a young child who passed away as a result of being deprived of gender affirming healthcare by the horrifically under-resourced system. That is the reality facing trans teenagers today. Anything presented by Liam Bartlett in this report had no interest in showcasing the reality, hence the intentional exclusion of these stories, only showcasing a perspective designed to inflame outrage and controversy. Propaganda isn’t about reality, only its toxic, harmful messaging.
But while it’s natural to be shaken by reports such as these, it’s always important to remember that there are much better stories out there we can share around, and any negativity espouses here can never compare to the love that we share as a community.
Stay safe everyone, and look after each other! <3
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Natalie Feliks is a writer and activist originally from Adelaide, now living in Melbourne. She's written for the likes of Junkee, Crikey, and Overland, and spends her time listening to pop music and eating chocolate.
I felt sick seeing the promos for this and knowing that it was actually aired.