Trans women discussed trans rights on the BBC 45 years ago—here’s what it looked like

A BBC program which aired 45 years ago explored transgender rights and the challenges facing trans people in the UK, in one of the first shows of its kind.  It aired on Monday June  4 1973.

Many of the problems they faced at the time, are relevant today too, I am afraid.

You can watch the program here. Note how BBC gave the trans women control over the program.

The show was the result done by the famous TV presenter Sir David Attenborough. Attenborough, at the time  Director of Programmes, urged the BBC to screen a series of shows made by marginalized groups whose voice had been “neglected by mainstream programmes.”

The episode on transgender people is seen as the first UK TV program to depict the trans community with sympathy, and not as a “problem”.

I News has more about Attenborough’s role.

The “100 Voices that made the BBC: People Nation and Empire” contains this and other episodes from this BBC review of cultural diversity.

David Attenborough opened up  BBC  to minority groups (Photo by David Cairns/Express/Getty Images).

@Zagria tells me that the woman above is  Della Aleksander, a trans activist who worked with Charlotte Bach and Colin Wilson.