A report commissioned by the BBC has suggested that its children’s programmes should include more lesbian, homosexual and bisexual people.
The authors of the report said that children should be introduced to sexual diversity whilst they are young.
They stated: “The LGB [lesbian, gay and bisexual] experts feel that the BBC should seek to incorporate the portrayal of LGB people within programming targeted at children, to familiarise audiences through incidental portrayal from an early age.”
Findings
The study said gay presenters would “validate” the feelings of some children and how it is important for young people in their formative years to be educated on the subject.
Those conducting the study said that while there has been a gradual increase in the representation of these people, they still remain “relatively invisible.”
The report, which drew results from a number of sources, concluded all genres of programming should regularly feature non-heterosexual people.
It also claimed that BBC news gave too much time to “homophobic” viewpoints.
Other areas criticised in the report include entertainment and sport, where researchers also believe homosexuals are under-represented by the BBC.
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