JK Rowling has slammed the BBC for its “shameful record” on gender issues after appointing a man who dismissed concerns about trans women in female sports to head its sports coverage.
The Harry Potter author said it was “utterly predictable” that Alex Kay-Jelski, the new director of sport, had downplayed fears raised by sports icons like Martina Navratilova about biological men competing in women’s categories.
Kay-Jelski, hired by the BBC in April, has come under fire for a controversial column he wrote for The Times in 2019, where he was the sports editor. In the column, he claimed Navratilova, one of the greatest tennis players ever, and Olympic swimmer Sharron Davies were “not experts” on trans participation in sports.
Both Navratilova and Davies have repeatedly voiced concerns over the fairness and safety of male-bodied trans athletes competing in female sports.
Kay-Jelski even went as far as to compare those who see trans athletes as “threatening” to racists warning, “don’t let black men in the same shops as you or they’ll rape your women.”
Kevin O’Sullivan speaks with gold medallist and author, Sharron Davies MBE.
#news #sports #jkrowling #transition #politics #uk #talkradio
source
