Calling Male Transgender Samurai Killer a Woman Was Accurate, Insists BBC

The BBC has defended its use of female pronouns to describe a male transgender killer who stabbed his partner to death with a samurai sword. The Telegraph has more.

Joanna Rowland-Stuart, who was born male and was known as John Stuart, attacked Andrew Rowland-Stuart at their Brighton home in 2024, in what a jury found was an unlawful killing.

The couple had married in a civil partnership but reporting on the court hearing earlier this year, BBC News headlined one story ‘Wife killed husband with samurai sword’ and began: “A woman killed her husband…”.

The BBC used the pronouns “she” and “her” throughout its coverage.

A number of people contacted the BBC to complain. One wrote: “Using female pronouns to refer to a man is not accurate.”

Another said: “The suspect is a man. When the public see the words ‘wife’ and ‘woman’ they will assume you mean an adult human female.”

However, the BBC rejected the complaints.

In a written response, the broadcaster’s Executive Complaints Unit (ECU) said: “The BBC recognises the debate around sex and gender identity involves deeply held and sometimes conflicting views. The BBC’s approach, therefore, is to use terminology which is clear and appropriate to the context.”

The ECU said the language had been appropriate because Rowland-Stuart was referred to as a woman throughout the trial.

Worth reading in full.

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SimCS
7 months ago

“The BBC’s approach, therefore, is to use terminology which is clear and appropriate to the context.” but regardless of how false it is?!

Marcus Aurelius knew
7 months ago

“Joanna Rowland-Stuart, who was born is male…”

For crying out loud.

transmissionofflame
7 months ago

Saved me the trouble. I don’t mix in the right circles (or any circles really…) but woe betide any “journalist” who happens to be at a dinner party with me. They will regret talking to me! (I don’t do dinner parties but you get the idea).

Jonathan M
Jonathan M
7 months ago

To be accurate, he was born male and will die male – and no amount of hormone treatment, surgical mutilation and wishful thinking can ever change that.

transmissionofflame
7 months ago
Reply to  Jonathan M

To be even more accurate, he was conceived male. But really the “was” implies that this state may change, or has changed.

mickie
mickie
7 months ago

You would think that with all those Verify staff, they could get something right for once.

Solentviews
Solentviews
7 months ago
Reply to  mickie

It’s never going to happen…

RTSC
RTSC
7 months ago

It isn’t clear and appropriate to call a male murderer a woman. End of.

Hound of Heaven
Hound of Heaven
7 months ago

If Reform plans on allowing single female illegal immigrants with or without children to remain in the UK guess what the men will do?

Dinger64
7 months ago

Magically transform into women for a guess!

Deezer
Deezer
7 months ago
Reply to  Dinger64

But then won’t they have to walk 2 paces behind themselves and treat themselves as lesser citizens? Might be difficult!

Hester
Hester
7 months ago

The BBC is helping to skew the crime stats such that the incidence in females committing murder, rapes, assaults are increasing. Its inversion of reality by an elite public funded class

Hester
Hester
7 months ago

I wonder where this samurai killer will be jailed?

mrbu
mrbu
7 months ago
Reply to  Hester

I don’t know, but if he really wants to stop being a man, there’s probably a very good use for that sword.

Jack the dog
Jack the dog
7 months ago

Good old Auntie – she won’t change her spots.

But seriously, useless bastards.

#defundthebbc

BS Whitworth
BS Whitworth
7 months ago

“…Rowland-Stuart was referred to as a woman throughout the trial.” Is that the Franz Kafka Trial.

transmissionofflame
7 months ago

The ECU said the language had been appropriate because Rowland-Stuart was referred to as a woman throughout the trial.”

What a lame excuse – a big boy told me to do it.

MajorMajor
MajorMajor
7 months ago

Calling Male Transgender Samurai Killer a Woman Was Accurate, Insists BBC”
Calling Male Transgender Samurai Killer a Woman Was a Deliberate Falsification of the Truth by a Woke Marxo-Fascist Propaganda Agency, Insists The Man Writing This Comment

Gezza England
Gezza England
7 months ago

I generally mix with normal people and so am not au fait with all this weirdo stuff. When two men or two women go through the sham of getting married, how do they work our who is ‘wife’ and who is ‘husband’ given that those terms refer to a woman married to a man?

Pete Sutton
Pete Sutton
7 months ago

Well if the courts can’t get the sex right, what chance do the rest of us (including the BBC) have?

Whomakesthisstuffup
Whomakesthisstuffup
7 months ago

So, the BBC, that “independent” arbiter, ignores both law and biology, and focuses on ideology

Westfieldmike
Westfieldmike
7 months ago

Of course they did, it’s what the hard left BBC does. Do not fund the evil empire.

pjar
7 months ago

A man, who thinks he’s a woman, is mad enough to take a sword to his partner. Who could conceive such a thing… 🤷

Hound of Heaven
Hound of Heaven
7 months ago

Shameless gaslighting and attempted coercive control of the public.