The BBC has issued a statement after fans of Strictly Come Dancing complained about a trans rights t-shirt being edited out in the show on Saturday night (October 10). It comes as a new series of the hit dancing competition show has gotten underway on BBC.
Actor Bethany Antonia is a contestant on this year's Strictly Come Dancing, paired with professional dancer Nancy Xu. During Saturday night's show, a clip was shown of Bethany wearing a white t-shirt with "PROTECT THE DOLLS" written on it during rehearsals. But later on in the show, the BBC has edited the top, to make it appear as if it was plain white.
Pro-trans slogan origins
The phrase "protect the dolls" is a pro-trans slogan which was first written on a top from fashion designer Conner Ives in 2025. Since then been worn by celebrities including Madonna and Pedro Pascal, and has helped to raise money for charities. But the term traces back to the 1980s Black and Latina underground ballroom scene in New York City, where "doll" was used as a term of solidarity for transgender women.
Fan reaction online
In a post on social media, account @SuperTV wrote: "Bethany wore a T-Shirt that said ‘Protect the Dolls’ during #strictly rehearsals. After posting a video, the BBC quietly replaced it with a new one that doesn’t show her from the front. During the show, they actually blurred out the T-Shirt completely. Absolutely despicable."
People in the comments have called on the BBC to "do better", meanwhile the move has been called "anti-trans" by others on the internet.
BBC statement
A BBC spokesperson said: "As is standard practice on any entertainment show on the BBC and in line with our editorial guidelines, appropriate steps are taken to reduce the inclusion of any overt branding or slogans that may be present, regardless of the wording or statement in question."
