The ‘Loose Women’ panel have been slammed by viewers, following a discussion about children who identify as transgender.
Host Andrea McLean introduced the topic, stating “there’s been a quadruple rise in the number of children who have been referred to the NHS because of transgender feelings. Transgender is a word that has been bandied around an awful lot in the last 12 months or so, especially because of the Caitlyn Jenner case over in America.”
This isn't the first time the panel have landed themselves in hot water
However, she appeared to go on to confuse gender with sexuality, adding: “One case is wonderful and lovely, how accepting people are of fluid sexuality… but the truth is that young children are now questioning their sexuality and their gender at such a young age… is that refreshing, or is it a worry?”
Nadia Sawalha then shared her views, making a series of comments that have frustrated many Twitter users.
“Last year my step daughter told me the ‘in’ thing at school was self harming, and then before that it had been throwing up. You know, fashionable words that have been taken on,” she said.
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Nadia continued: “The other day, [my kids] were playing, and we actually heard from the other room, ‘which one of us is going to be transgender?’
“Can you imagine that, even a year ago?”
“The other day, [my husband] Mark went oh, I feel like a woman, and Kiki went: ‘You’re not going to become a woman, are you?’… can you imagine when we were eight even thinking about that?”
Nadia's standpoint has been questioned
Fellow panellist Gloria Hunniford then attempted to move the conversation forward, explaining: “You can understand homosexuality, but when your child says I’m transgender, is a whole new thing.”
Many viewers took to Twitter following the conversation, with a number questioning whether the women were right to even attempt to discuss the topic:
This isn’t the first time the ‘Loose Women’ panel have been criticised for their discussion topics and methods, and fans called for Coleen Nolan to be ditched by ITV bosses, when she defended bakery owners who refused to bake a cake for a gay marriage, drawing comparisons between gay rights and supporting ISIS in the process.
The show’s bosses issued an apology earlier this year, when an online poll asked Twitter users: “Is it ever a woman’s fault if she is raped?”.