The upper management of the BBC has been accused of failing to comprehend the significance of Pride and the experiences of LGBTQ+ individuals in modern Britain, after reissuing restrictive guidance in light of Pride season.

In October 2020, Tim Davie, the Director-General of the BBC, introduced guidelines preventing staff members from attending Pride protests, along with stringent social media rules, both of which are supposedly meant to ensure the impartiality of the staff. This advice has been renewed this year, with Davie specifying that journalists could attend Pride parades, as long as they did not take a stand on politicised or contested issues.

The guidelines more specifically state that BBC News and Current Affairs staff, as well as certain factual staff, should refrain from participating in public demonstrations or gatherings related to controversial matters. 

However, Davie clarified that employees outside of these departments are allowed to attend marches, demonstrations and protests as private individuals. He also stated that editorial staff in the mentioned departments can attend “community events that are clearly celebratory or commemorative”.

Notably, the timing of this year’s re-release of this guidance coincided with London Pride. According to PinkNews, the document in question was circulated to senior managers on July 3, shortly after the English capital’s main Pride celebration and a few days before London Trans Pride, scheduled for July 8.

The @BBC having a "no homo" impartiality policy on its staff attending pride events and acting like that's somehow just neutral is fucking appalling. It's straight up homophobic and transphobic by default.

The BBC should be partial to equal human rights for everyone.

— Mallory Moore (@Chican3ry) July 4, 2023

Shivani Dave, a non-binary trans journalist and broadcaster who worked at the BBC in 2020 when the rules regarding news staff attending Pride events were first introduced, condemned the guidance as “appalling.” They believe that the guidelines were implemented to prevent BBC News employees from expressing support for trans people.

“When this was proposed as ‘guidance’ to staff at the BBC in 2020 it was a clear indication that it was deployed in a way to prevent employees at BBC News showing their support for trans people,” they told PinkNews.

“BBC News had created their own arbitrary line on what parts of identity were and weren’t political by suggesting if the Pride event was a ‘party’ people could attend but not if it was a ‘protest’.

“It is an appalling state when the national broadcaster is so invested in a culture war that even suggesting that trans people are worthy of respect and dignity can ruffle feathers at BBC News,” they added.

Recent staff survey results have revealed a distressing lack of faith in the general leadership and senior management of the organisation. This new guidance further solidifies the belief among many staff members that the leadership is ill-equipped, disconnected from staff and out of touch with the desires of the public regarding the BBC’s programming.