The BBC Really Censored a ‘Protect the Dolls’ Shirt on ‘Strictly Come Dancing’
After viewers called out the apparent censorship, the BBC defended its decision to edit the pro-trans slogan off ‘House of the Dragon’ star Bethany Antonia’s shirt.
The BBC is facing backlash after digitally removing a pro-trans message from a Strictly Come Dancing contestant’s shirt, and they aren’t backing down.
The most recent episode of the reality series included footage of queer House of the Dragon star Bethany Antonia rehearsing with dance partner Nancy Xu. In the clip, Antonia appeared to be wearing a plain white tee.
There was only one problem; the BBC had previously shared footage from the same rehearsal on social media, where the slogan “Protect the Dolls” had clearly been visible on Antonia’s shirt.
“Protect the Dolls,” of course, has become a familiar pro-trans rights slogan in recent years, with celebrities like Pedro Pascal, Tilda Swinton, and more pointedly wearing shirts featuring the phrase to signal their support.
Viewers quickly realized that the slogan must have been intentionally edited out for broadcast, sparking fury across social media.
The BBC defended its decision, saying in a statement, “As is standard practice on any entertainment show on the BBC and in line with our editorial guidelines, appropriate steps are taken to reduce the inclusion of any overt branding or slogans that may be present, regardless of the wording or statement in question.”
It wasn’t immediately clear whether the BBC has blurred out or erased every slogan that’s ever appeared on a T-shirt on their entertainment shows or if it’s more selective than their statement suggests.
That said, this isn’t the first time the channel has obscured pro-trans messaging on clothing, having previously removed “Trans Rights Are Human Rights” from Kaiser Chiefs’ Ricky Wilson’s T-shirt in 2024.
Trans activist and TV personality India Willoughby took things a step further, alleging on X that “the BBC has an actual ban in place on trans people appearing on Strictly. Confirmed to me years ago by someone who works on the show.”
While this allegation hasn’t been verified, the optics are increasingly difficult to explain away. All we really know is that viewers are once again watching the network erase a public show of support for trans people.
