The Chase's Anne Hegerty branded 'transphobic'
 

Thoughts on this?


The Chase's Anne Hegerty branded 'transphobic' after toe-curling spat

THE Governess, who appeared in The Wright Stuff yesterday, landed herself in hot water when she made a controversial comment.

Viewers of the Channel 5 show were left fuming after it appeared Anne Hegerty, who made herself a household name on ITV's The Chase, made a barbed comment towards fellow panellist, transgender campaigner Paris Lees.

During a heated debate on the show, chaired by Matthew Wright, the pair went head-to-head over the existence of the gender pay gap.

Former journalist Anne, 59, said she believed that if women wanted leadership roles "they should be the ones going out and getting them".

"I don't believe there's a group of men saying there's too many women on panels."

Paris, however, questioned Anne's beliefs, asking: "So you don't believe there's an old boys club at the top?"

Anne shot back: "Well, you used to be a boy, you would know."

Her comment was followed by a frosty silence in the studio, as the debate swiftly moved on.

Viewers flocked to Twitter to call out Anne, who has earned the nickname "Frosty Knickers" for her cold demeanour from Bradley Walsh, over her offensive comment.

"It was transphobic of Anne to throw Paris's born gender in her face like that. She also did it to shut her up. It was rude," slammed one viewer.

"Wow, that was disgusting," said another.

"Anne Hegerty's put-down of Paris really shocked me. I am really surprised everyone just took it?" a third tweeted.

A fourth said: "I am appalled by Anne's off the cuff crass remark. Well done for rising above it, Paris."

Paris told the Sun after the incident: "I was so shocked, I was processing it. I didn't make a big deal out if it. I love the show and Matthew, and I;m sure Anne didn't mean to be malicious.

"I hope she didn't mean it to come across the way it did."

A rep for Anne has ben contacted for comment.

I think she was right. We cant deny our past ever existed :shrug:

I saw that yesterday, I thought Anne was joking,It didn't come across as malicious to me,maybe I missed something:shrug:

If you watch the video and it does come across as quite rude tbf, I was of the opinion before watching the video that it was probably relevant to what they were discussing and it is relevant in a way but the way she said it seemed more snappy and not matter fact or a point in her argument. Regardless though I don't think she should be dropped from the show for stating a fact either

It's not really a fact though, because it was a whole statement not just "you used to be a boy".

Saying "you used to be a boy so you should know" is obviously not "a fact"... It's utter nonsense... It doesn't even make sense. "You used to be male so you should be an expert on patriarchy!" :umm2:

So basically, transphobic or not, it is 100% strawman and clearly intended to be cutting / offensive, rather than having anything to do with what was being debated.

Well yeah that's basically what I said in my post though :suspect: The part of the what she said that caused offense was the You used to be a boy bit and that is a fact.

Is it any worse than bradley walshs nickname for her?

She said "used to be a boy", not "you're really a man". Obviously having been a probably somewhat effeminate boy before transition doesn't make Paris an expert on the "patriarchy" so it's a bit null, but she was a boy.

It’s worth pointing out I think that she has aspergers, so probably does have moments where she’s unnecessarily blunt in life.

It's the sort of off the cuff blunt comment she comes out with on the Chase, storm in a teacup

She is entitled to her opinions. It isn't for anyone to PC her.

:laugh2: mess

I dont think she would have meant it in that way though

Just a misjudged off the cuff remark. Not trying to sound like the annoying anti-PC brigade but people need to stop looking for things to be offended by.

India to go on The Chase Celebrity and scalp ha?

Well yes, but that's only relevant if we're saying that "anything true is fine" and no one should be fired from a show for saying anything so long as it's true.

I mean, I can't imagine that someone who said "You are fat and have a huge nose and your breath smells like actual dog ****" to a guest would get to keep their job just because all of those things happened to be factually accurate :think:.

Basically I think if someone says something with the obvious INTENT of causing upset, then it doesn't really matter whether or not it's "just a fact". In fact, often it's worse if it IS the truth.

Tl;Dr preying on someone's insecurities to deliberately upset them isn't OK just because the thing they're insecure about is true.

We still love her

"You used to be a boy" is the sort of blatant fact that Aspergers people will just come out with though. I doubt it would have even occured to Anne that she was being offensive tbh

Its got nothing to do with PC and all to do with trying to publicly embarrass someone and put them down in front of a wide audience.

Similar comments that would hurt someone:
"You should know, you used to be a slut"
"You should know, you have a criminal record"
"You should know, your'e only a cleaner"

Making comments or holding back on comments like like that aren't about PC, they are about being kind or unkind. A kind person simply wouldn't have made a comment like that.

fair enough, I see your point.

Like rob says, she has aspergers, are you saying there are no kind aspergers sufferers out there?

It was rude and pretty unnecessary.

But Ann is Autistic, and as such is likely to have issues understanding the way we are supposed to effectively LIE when it comes to transpeople :shrug:

And Paris did grown up as a boy.

If she has Aspergers then I'm not surprised she made a comment like that.

And people have the right to question her on her opinions.

What a ridiculous reach.

Anne doesn't represent everyone with Aspergers and guess what? People with Aspergers can be arseholes regardless of their condition. She didn't say it as a blunt fact, she said it to be rude because she was losing the argument

That being said, I don't think what she said was particularly transphobic, she was being an arsehole but I wouldn't say she's transphobic just based on that.

"Anne shot back: "Well, you used to be a boy, you would know."

Her comment was followed by a frosty silence in the studio, as the debate swiftly moved on."


Yes it was a nasty response
I thought Matt Wright
would say something.


Anne Hegerty
has autism etc.
It was a feature on another day when she was on.


Today's show at 10:24AM
Guest Presenter Ann Diamond
pointed out the comment
and said Sorry.

My thoughts exactly.

edited to add, I don't think she should actually lose her job over it though. I do think she was trying to shut down Paris and it was very rude and unnecessary, but her judgement over choosing to say it/knowing how hurtful it might be, was most likely affected by her aspergers, so the show should show leniency.

Although she only said it in the first place because she was trying to shut down Paris' opinion because it opposed hers.

Having autism could lead her to be blunt about it in an outright factual way; e.g. Let's say the conversation was about... The hazards of using a urinal, or catching your willy in your fly zip, an autistic person might say "Oh but you'll understand because you used to be male and had a penis" without thinking or realising that that might "cause offence". That's one thing.

Suggesting that someone should "know all about the old boy's club" because they "used to be a boy" is nothing more than a deliberate jibe

Oh I get the 'you would know about old boys club as you are male' is pretty nonsensical.

But this she is transphobic as she acknowledges that Paris is male rather than politely lying about it and pretending that transwomen were always girls and such as we are apparently supposed to do...well thats likely to be Aspergers

Was an attempt at a snide comment. Which tbf, is pretty much what shes known for. So the reaction and demanding she is sacked and such is pretty stupid

I reckon if she had been talking to a normal bloke who had said the same stuff, she would have said 'oh well you are male, you would know' or whatever. Kind of glad she did not actually say this to paris, as even though paris is male, it would have caused MUCH more hell on than 'you used to be male' :laugh:

I say that was fair comment.

Well whether or not that she's right that she "used to be a boy". It wasn't relevant or appropriate to the discussion.

Nobody said it made her an expert though?

Ann, however, made out that because she "used to be a boy" it somehow invalidated her opinion? :shrug:

If she just randomly said to her "you used to be a boy" then it would be a bit "Oh, ok thanks for that" but she said it as though to shut down the other one's opinion.

I don't feel it was transphobic in anyway whatsoever but it didn't put Anne and her debating skills in a good light at all.

It would be like debating nose piercings in schools and then one guest randomly says "Well you have a big fat CONK so you would know". It might be factual but it's also irrelevant to what they were talking about. :laugh:

And everyone else has a right to discuss it. It's isn't for you to PC them.

Anne is savage!!

...there are varying degrees of Aspergers...so it’s hard to say if it was meant ‘to close down’...or just her ‘logical’ thought pattern of...well you have spent time as a ‘boy’, so you would know ‘boy’s clubs’ etc...Aspergers don’t have thoughts of, oh that was offensive or hurtful or anything...the syndrome doesn’t ‘sense’ feelings or diplomacy in the same way as others who aren’t Aspergers...in childhood though, or through childhood when diagnosed...many ‘skills’ are learned...which enable things like that to be said less in adulthood...but then, that would also depend on when in her life she was diagnosed and how much help she got with those ‘skills’...because that’s more a fairly recent thing, so maybe not so much of ‘her time’...so yeah, it’s hard to say, even in watching it...oooops though...

...yeah she is, Jonnie.:laugh:...I have to say I haven’t watched The Chase that much...but just looking at the vid just now, I watched her Chase with Ann Widdecombe....a small clip....and she’s definately a ‘match’ for Anne...:laugh:...

..that’s the thing though, Marsh...(..obviously it can’t be completely generalised because some Aspergers do have excellent debating skills..)...but ‘debating skills’ is not something generally associated with Aspergers...so yeah, those skills were not shown in a good light...because for her it would be more..a quick, sharp, ‘truth’.../type response and thought...the ‘strength’ that’s more ‘typical’ and would be shown in The Chase as a chaser, something she excels at I believe...a little cynic in me feels, well they would know that in having her as a guest on a debate show...and maybe hoping for a ‘controversial’ remark...and hey, we’re back in the news, guys...Anne did that, that’s what we hoped for...she didn’t let us down...Oooops...

Slag her off you mean.

***** thing to say, but I doubt she meant it to be that way. Just a woman knowing that shes losing a debate so resulted to desperate petty playground tactics. See it happen a lot here.

From your perspective.

Never fails to amaze me how you bleat about this forum apparently trying to shut you down and now allow you to have your opinion whilst simultaneously telling everyone else how they're not allowed an opinion.

Hypocrite.