Labour calls on Director General to update BBC guidelines after Graham Norton disciplined for wearing AIDS ribbon

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The Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on HIV and AIDS has written to BBC Director General Lord Hall over the decision to discipline Graham Norton for wearing an HIV/AIDS awareness ribbon on his Friday night chat show.
In a letter sent to Lord Hall on 11 December, Labour MP Pamela Nash said: “I am writing to express my concern about the story circulating in the media yesterday regarding Graham Norton having been reprimanded by the BBC for supporting World AIDS Day by wearing a ribbon for the Graham Norton Show prior to World AIDS Day on 29th November. If this is true, it sends an unhelpful message to the public.”
The MP continued: “Raising awareness of HIV is crucial to ending the epidemic. Globally 35 million people have died from AIDS to date – the ribbon is a way of remembering all of those people while simultaneously encouraging people to get tested. In the UK roughly 100,000 people are living with HIV with a fifth of that number unaware of their infection.
“I hope these statistics help demonstrate why it is so important people like Graham Norton show their support for World AIDS Day. It is a symbol of solidarity, compassion and an important awareness raising tool which the BBC could greatly help by promoting. You will know that other television stations have long allowed their stars wear the red ribbon, most notably on the X Factor. During Prime Minister’s Questions on the Wednesday before World AIDS Day the whole of the Labour front bench wore the red ribbon to show their support, as did backbench MPs across the House. I hope the BBC will recognise that the AIDS ribbon should be allowed to be worn and amend their guidelines accordingly.”
Margot James, the Conservative Party’s first openly gay female MP, tweeted her support for Norton, saying it was time to “change the guidelines.”


http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2013/12/12/labour-demands-action-from-director-general-after-graham-norton-disciplined-for-wearing-aids-ribbon/


Can't get my head around this BBC decision TBF!  

Catman wrote:

Sassy wrote:Got a link to it?   This is something of enormous importance, what do the BBC think they are playing at?

http://act.lifewithhiv.org.uk/lobby/BBCRRban

That's the link that Pink News have given, it doesn't work though!

That is the problem with the country ,to many not working.

veya_victaous wrote:I can tell you why is it is more prevelant in gay men and women than straight men.
(some of you are a bit older so guess they didn't teach you this stuff in school)

but it is the fluids that trasfer the virus and the reciever be it gay man or straight woman is getting and 'input' of fluids. then when you take in to account that anal sex often causes bleeding and you have the perfect senerio for transfer and infection of a blood born virus.

Bleeding? WTF!

Oh bless Andy, you are a little protected flower aren't you.

veya_victaous wrote:I can tell you why is it is more prevelant in gay men and women than straight men.
(some of you are a bit older so guess they didn't teach you this stuff in school)

but it is the fluids that trasfer the virus and the reciever be it gay man or straight woman is getting and 'input' of fluids. then when you take in to account that anal sex often causes bleeding and you have the perfect senerio for transfer and infection of a blood born virus.

When I was in high school in the mid to late 80's Veya little was known about HIV and AIDS or taught about it other than fear   

A diagnosis of HIV or AIDS was pretty much a death sentence back then, things have changed massively. Unfortunately the loss of that "fear" has resulted in some people leaving themselves vulnerable to becoming infected.

I was more mid to late 90's so there was still the fear but a lot more info.

I remember when it started how people who had it were more or less told it was their own fault. I never agreed with that even then. This thing we have about any illness associated with sex is ludicrous, the inner prude seems to rise to the surface in so many people. The old thing, sex = dirty and if you become ill thought it, you got what you deserved. The churches had a field day.

Just amazing that the BBC, which is supported by and is supposed to serve the people of the U.K., would get this idiotic when you're talking about promoting awareness of something that affects so many of their viewers.

Perhaps the higher up was one of those people who feel the HIV positive have "gotten what they deserve." It's certainly a common viewpoint, and I mean "common" in the sense in which £BILLION£ usually uses it

I bet there are people at the BBC who are HIV, and they must be furious.

http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2013/12/16/tory-vice-chair-bbc-ban-on-graham-nortons-aids-ribbon-is-extraordinary/

It will be changed.