Big Brother edits episode to remove lesbian contestant's pro-Palestine T-shirt

A Big Brother episode was removed from ITVX and subsequently re-uploaded with the pro-Palestine T-shirt edited out.

News . Written by Beatrice Fanucci.

Big Brother contestant Ali Bromley wearing a pro-Palestine t-shirt with a watermelon on the front.
Image: Via X - @jigglypompom

Big Brother has come under fire for editing a recent episode to remove contestant Ali Bromley’s T-shirt with watermelon imagery, a symbol of solidarity with Palestine. A forensic psychologist and self-described “late-in-life lesbian”, Bromley has previously worn other clothing with empowering messaging, such as “trans rights are human rights”.

The T-shirt worn on the Big Brother episode featured a watermelon, which has the same colours as the Palestinian flag. The symbol has become associated with the pro-Palestine movement amid the ongoing genocidal assault launched by Israel on Gaza, where over 42,000 people have been killed since October 7, 2023.

Bromley’s T-shirt has since been identified as the ‘Freedom Melon Tee’ from Wear The Peace, which donates all proceeds to Pious Project of America, a charity organisation that supplies medical aid, food, water and other necessities to people in Gaza.

However, after the Big Brother episode aired with Bromley wearing the pro-Palestine T-shirt, it was later removed from ITVX on October 22. It was subsequently re-uploaded the following day but with the watermelon imagery edited out. Instead, Bromley appeared to be wearing a plain black top.

 

A spokesperson for Big Brother said in a statement: “Big Brother does not allow any personal items into the house that could be deemed harmful. We regret that the implications of this particular item of clothing were not fully understood in our bag checks or prior to broadcast of (Tuesday)’s show.

“We apologise to any viewers who have been offended by the broadcast and assure viewers that Big Brother was unaware of the implications of the image.

“The item of clothing has been removed from the house. The housemate has been spoken to and they have expressed that they are unaware of the implications and did not wish to cause any harm or offence.

“Any offensive messaging associated with the image does not reflect the values or beliefs of Big Brother.”

 

This response from Big Brother sparked condemnation from viewers, who took to social media to comment on the show’s decision.

“Ali should be applauded for these t-shirts btw, first a trans rights are human rights shirt and a Palestine one. Honestly queen s**t right there,” said one viewer.

Another commented: “I love how she’s brought in both pro-Palestine and pro-trans shirts, I just love this woman actually.”

A different viewer expressed their frustration, saying: “@ITVX aired Nathan’s anti-immigrant/pro-Farage views. all of Marcello’s misogynistic/pro-Trump comments and Khaled and Ryan’s ‘anti-woke’ views. Yet Ali wearing an anti-genocide symbol of Palestinian liberation gets censored?”

 

© 2024 GCN (Gay Community News). All rights reserved.

Support GCN

GCN has been a vital, free-of-charge information service for Ireland’s LGBTQ+ community since 1988.

During this global COVID pandemic, we like many other organisations have been impacted greatly in the way we can do business and produce. This means a temporary pause to our print publication and live events and so now more than ever we need your help to continue providing this community resource digitally.

GCN is a registered charity with a not-for-profit business model and we need your support. If you value having an independent LGBTQ+ media in Ireland, you can help from as little as €1.99 per month. Support Ireland’s free, independent LGBTQ+ media.

0 comments. Please sign in to comment.

Popular News

All News