The broadcaster has been told it “must do better” after it gave a platform to a person basking in the physical harm done against its political opponents. One of the company’s radio hosts suggested that the producers of his program hadn’t done enough research to discover the athlete’s abusive language.
Fallon Fox, an American former martial arts fighter, announced in 2020 a penchant for seriously injuring those accused of “transphobia”.
Fox, a biological man who was the first transgender athlete in MMA history, was so powerful in the ring that opponent Tamikka Brents (a biological woman) was sent to the hospital with crushed skills and required surgical staples.
Fox wrote in a post on Twitter: “For the record, I knocked out two. One woman’s skull was fractured, the other was not. And just so you know, I enjoyed it.
“Look, I love smacking TEFS [‘trans-exclusionary radical feminist’] in the cage talking transphobia bullshit.
“It’s bliss! Do not be angry.”
Fox added a wink and kissing emoji to the post.
Last month Fox was featured on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
This followed the decision for trans athletes who had gone through male puberty to be barred from competing in elite women’s races.
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dr. Nicola Williams, the group’s director, also told the Telegraph: “If you knew Fallon Fox was a trans fighter, you’d know what Fallon Fox had said.
“It’s either the wake producers didn’t do the basics with research, or they didn’t care. This apology means nothing unless they also provide an on-air clarification.
“They need to do due diligence on this topic by attracting real experts, not just transgender people for the sake of it.”
However, the BBC Complaints Unit responded to criticism, claiming it was “unaware of any previous comments made by Fallon Fox” and that if it were, “we would have conducted the interview differently”.
The broadcaster also told the women’s group in a letter: “We have discussed your concerns with the responsible team and we would like to apologize for this oversight.”
Radio 4 host Justin Webb, who conducted the interview, said he had “no idea” about the comments “and neither did the producers”.