While some LGBTQIA and progressive groups in the UK are critical of OFCOM for what they see as excessive leniency towards right-wing outlets such as GB News, they recognise that the British regulator is far from the most hostile. Across the Atlantic, the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has a reputation for aggressive action — including a previous attempt to fine a small pirate radio station serving New York’s Guatemalan community two million dollars. Now, with new directives emerging from the White House, the FCC has proposed adding warning messages to television programmes that feature transgender and non‑binary individuals.

The gay newspaper the Washington Blade reports that on 22 April the FCC issued a public notice inviting Americans to submit comments on whether the TV Oversight Management Board should introduce new ratings to alert viewers to “transgender and gender nonbinary programming” and “the discussion or promotion of gender identity themes”. The FCC claims that parents have expressed concerns that such material is being included in children’s shows without adequate disclosure. However, LGBT Tech — an organisation working with the community on media and technology issues — noted that 81 per cent of transgender respondents it surveyed said these portrayals had a positive effect on discovering or understanding their identity. The group added: “These numbers reflect a basic truth: for many people, and especially young people, seeing LGBTQ+ lives represented in ordinary media is not harmful. It is formative, affirming, and often lifesaving.”

A coalition of forty politically progressive and LGBTQ+ organisations has united to oppose the FCC’s proposal. Brian Dittmeier, director of LGBTQI+ equality at the National Women’s Law Center Action Fund, stated: “The FCC is cloaking itself in purported concern for parents in an attempt to censor content, intimidate industry, and silence depictions of our trans siblings and neighbours. The FCC is overstepping its authority to undermine the existing ratings system, which is well understood by parents and enjoys broad public support. The FCC’s presumption that it knows better does not reflect parents’ priorities and reeks of government overreach.”

Sarah Kate Ellis, president of the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), commented: “The FCC does not set TV ratings, but under this administration the FCC has repeatedly tried to control what Americans can see on their own televisions. This government overreach is dangerous and a threat to our community and our democracy. LGBTQ+ people and their families deserve to see their lives represented in the media they watch. And media companies must have the freedom to create programming that appeals to their viewers and subscribers without interference from a government pursuing its own anti-LGBTQ+ political agenda.”