Pride in Diversity lists the following members in the media and entertainment sectors.
- Carriageworks
- Opera Australia
- 10 ViacomCBS
- Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC)
- Bloomberg L.P.
- Initiative Media
- SBS
Membership in ACON’s Pride in Diversity scheme has implications for Australian media outlets. Three major content producers and news outlets together are able to establish a status quo that supports ACON’s agenda.
ABC and SBS are our (traditionally left-leaning) federally-supported media outlets. We trust the ABC to provide fair and impartial reportage on issues of national importance. Both ABC and SBS are top-tier gold star performers in the AWEI.
ABC
ABC has done significant pro bono work for ACON. This includes lending out talent for ACON’s events and lending their executive staff to speak at ACON events.
This is not an exhaustive list or review of the ABC’s promotion of ACON’s ideas about gender.
displays a commitment to – transitioning children; inserting males into women’s spaces e.g. sports; erasing lesbians, gays and bisexuals in favour of “queers”.
Transitioning Children
ABC has produced a number of programs depicting transgender treatment for children in a positive light. This includes First Day, a drama focused on a boy starting school presenting as a girl. First Day is broadcast on ABC Me, the channel aimed at a pre-teen and teen audience.
ABC has produced a number of feature-length programs in favour of transitioning children, including A Balancing Act: Michelle Telfer (Australian Story), Not a boy, Not a girl (4 Corners) & Being Me (4 Corners) among many others.
Shorter segments are targeted directly at children, such as Courtney Act Talks to Kids About Gender. In this 5 minute segment, Shane Janek (in the persona of drag queen Courtney) discusses his perspectives on gender, how to walk in heels and demonstrates dancing ‘the floss’.
Males in Women’s Sports
Over the course of covering the participation of male athlete Laurel Hubbard in women’s weightlifting, ABC produced roughly 30 articles and radio broadcasts. All were fiercely supportive of Hubbard’s participation. At one point, a journalist declares that a male playing women’s rugby is the most vulnerable person on the field. ABC employed a deceptive technique of interviewing male athletes with feminine names to disguise the fact they only interviewed a single female expert within a 2 year period of covering the issue.
ABC produced a special advocating for males who play in women’s sports called “In Her Words: Transitions“. ABC used Facebook and ABC Queer to garner opposition to the ‘Save Women’s Sport’ Bill that would clarify the right of clubs to offer single-sex sport, should they so choose. Under ACON’s direction, single-sex sports (while not unlawful) are difficult to access.
ABC Queer
ABC won the 2021 Pride in Diversity External Media Campaign for their Instagram channel ABC Queer. Aimed at a youth audience, ABC Queer contains factual inaccuracies such as “men have periods”, “some women have penises”; it promotes the sexualised image of a 12 year old boy aka “Candy Featherbottom” strutting in heels underneath a the word ‘TABOO’; and more. ABC Queer professionally repackages ACON’s view of sex, sexuality and gender in a fun youth-ready format.
Innies and Outies
ABC won the 2022 Pride in Diversity External Media Campaign award for their podcast Innies & Outies hosted by on Schafter.
AWEI 2022 Performance
In the 2022 AWEI awards, the ABC:
- Lent news presented Jeremy Fernandez to host the event. News presenter Patricia Karvelas was slated to appear but fell ill.
- Won New External Media Campaign for the 2nd year
- Won Best CEO of the Year for David Anderson
- Attained Gold status
Channel 10
Channel 10 is a major commercial news station, with progressive thought-leadership on programs such as The Project. Together with ABC and SBS, Channel 10 is broadcasting ACON’s agenda to progressive Australians.
SBS
SBS has also featured content that promotes transitioning children. Butterfly is a ‘info-drama’ about an 11-year-old boy living as a
Like the ABC, the SBS has done significant pro bono work for ACON. This includes lending out talent for ACON’s events and lending their executive staff to speak at ACON events. SBS is a gold-level AWEI organisation and a media partner.
External Links
- ABC Programs
- Pride in Diversity Media Members
- Women’s Cooee
