Yahoo News BBC apologises for running gay conversion poll
The BBC has apologised after posting a poll about gay conversion therapy on Twitter.
Following an interview with This Morning's Dr Ranj Singh on BBC Radio Kent, the station's official Twitter page ran a poll that asked if gay conversion therapy should be banned, with the responses "yes, it should be banned" and "it's acceptable practice".
Needless to say, the poll caused outrage with more than 100 responses by the time the BBC deleted the tweet and apologised for the offence it caused.
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What kind of question is this? It doesn't need answering. It IS wrong.- Ryan Brown (@Toadsanime) October 20, 2017
Shame on you BBC Kent for this crass attempt at audience engagement. Conversion therapy causes suicide. The end.
- Patrick Strudwick (@PatrickStrud) October 20, 2017
TV Doctor @DrRanj is entirely correct. He has evidence to back up his position. Why are you even asking this as a Twitter poll? https://t.co/lRccEsaMNZ
- Jennie Rigg-ormortis (@miss_s_b) October 20, 2017
Either desperate for attention or so idiotic they don't realise how inappropriate it is
- Chris Wadeson (@CWadeson) October 20, 2017
Wow. That's outrageous. They did a "is blackface acceptable?" poll a few weeks ago too. Really don't know what they're playing at.
- Dayalan Kulendran (@Daya1an) October 20, 2017
"Earlier we tweeted a poll about gay conversion therapy which breached our guidelines. We have removed this and apologise for offence caused," BBC Radio Kent posted on Twitter.
"The discussion on our breakfast show was prompted by the PM's condemnation this week of the controversial practice growing in the UK. We were asking listeners whether it should be made illegal. But the poll wasn't the most appropriate way of handling this sensitive issue."
Earlier we tweeted a poll about gay conversion therapy which breached our guidelines. We have removed this and apologise for offence caused.
- BBC Radio Kent (@BBCRADIOKENT) October 20, 2017
We were asking listeners whether it should be made illegal. But the poll wasn't the most appropriate way of handling this sensitive issue.
- BBC Radio Kent (@BBCRADIOKENT) October 20, 2017
Dr Ranj's interview on BBC Radio Kent had called for gay conversion therapy to be made illegal as it is "akin to almost psychological abuse".
"We have to understand that it is not always black and white, there are some people who are definitely heterosexual, there are some people who are definitely homosexual and they know their identities, and there are some people who are in between," he added.
The poll was criticised by LGBT equality charity Stonewall, which said in a statement: "It's shocking and deeply disappointing that the BBC launched a public poll asking if so-called 'conversion therapy' is acceptable.
"LGBT people aren't ill. Being gay, lesbian, bi or trans is not something that should be 'cured' or changed."
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