The Federal Communications Commission (FFC) has issued a public notice asking whether TV ratings should warn parents when programs contain transgender and gender non-conforming characters.
The following statement comes from a public notice issued by the FCC under the direction of extremist right-wing Trump appointee Chairman Brendan Carr, the current head of the FCC: “Recently, parents have raised concerns that controversial gender identity issues are being included or promoted in children’s programs without providing any disclosure or transparency to parents…doing so without providing this information to parents, thereby undermining the ability of parents to make informed choices for their families.”
In April, the commission created a forum asking the public if they wanted the TV ratings system to be updated or remain the same. As of now, despite response that most believe the current system is appropriate and understandable, the query continues.
Following the FCC announcement, more than 40 advocacy groups condemned the organization’s questioning, pointing a finger at the Trump administration and the federal government’s attempt to control independent media and entertainment entities.
Earlier this year, the administration followed the Senate’s hearing about the merger between Netflix and Warner Brothers. Mississippi Senator Josh Hawley asked similar questions in the hearing about Netflix’s increase in LGBTQ+ content and asked for reductions or parental warnings.
LGBTQ+ advocates say the government’s involvement sends a chilling message. “The FCC does not set TV ratings, but under this administration, the FCC has repeatedly tried to control what Americans can see on their own televisions,” said GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis. “This government overreach is dangerous and a threat to our community and our democracy.”
Alongside GLAAD, the Human Rights Campaign, PEN America, PFLAG Nation, Lambda Legal and others filed and warned the FCC that the inquiry into TV ratings could create a government-backed stigmatization for LGBTQ+ representation.
The filings state that requirements to flag trans and gender non-conforming characters could create a discriminatory precedent.
“The FCC is trying to take the tactics of censorship from our libraries to our living rooms,” said Jonathan Friedman of PEN America. “Proposing a kind of ‘warning label’ for LGBTQ content on TV is a means to silence and seclude LGBTQ stories and characters.”
Comments to the FCC closed on May 22 and replies ended June 22. As of this writing, the probability of an update has yet to be finalized.
