BBC Slammed For Stereotyping Gay Men In Newsnight Report On Tinder
The BBC has been accused of stereotyping gay men in a segment discussing the Tinder vs Vanity Fair story.
On an episode of Newsnight this week, presenter Evan Davis introduced a report on Tinder, saying it was a dating app that “helped straight behave like gay men.”
Davis, who is himself openly gay, said: “For the uninitiated, Tinder is the biggest of a number of apps that allows straight people of any gender to behave like gay men.
“It’s an easy hookup service. You upload your profile, and scroll through others, to find someone to meet.
“It’s love at first swipe. Swipe left for the ones you don’t like, swipe right for the folks you’re interested in. And then if the feeling’s mutual, you can message each other and take it from there.”
And the remark has drawn criticism from a number of people online for stereotyping gay people.
This included comedian Matt Lucas, from the hit TV show Little Britain, who wrote the following on Twitter:
Pathetic from the BBC. https://t.co/0eOMcRdRu6
– Matt Lucas (@RealMattLucas) August 12, 2015
Other users expressed their distaste at the joke on social media:
@BBC Tinder and blanket gay men comment was completely reprehensible. You should be apologize. #newsnight
– Andrew McSherry (@broncofaninatl) August 13, 2015
Apparently @Tinder “allows straight people to act more like gay men.” #newsnight is doing a good job of highlighting how biased BBC can be
– Meghali (@tck_meglet) August 12, 2015
Cheeky bastards at @BBC on about tinder and they use this “straight people of any gender to behave like gay men”
– Rich W (@welchy1987) August 13, 2015
WAIT! It is a wonder #gay men are so poorly portrayed in media when even a GAY MAN says this! #LGBT#newsnightpic.twitter.com/kM0jDElPm8
– Rob McDowall MEA (@robmcd85) August 12, 2015
In addition to this segment, the BBC also ran a discussion about Tinder and its influence on the dating behaviours of today’s younger generations, featuring Andrew Ibbotson from TrueView and relationship expert Jo Barnet.
Watch it below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7Ea16WzYX4
