Big Brother house roiled by 'hideous transphobia'

A heated conversation between contestants on the United Kingdom's version of the Big Brother reality television show — now in its 23rd season — has sparked calls for its network to reprimand or even punish some of the housemates for what fans are calling "bigoted" comments about transgender people.

Sunday night's episode of Big Brother — one of 63 shows in the worldwide franchise — introduced two new housemates: Catrin Richards, a 23-year-old teaching assistant, and Twinks Burnett, a 36-year-old fashion stylist. Some fellow cast members accused Burnett of trying to rock the boat by leading a conversation on LGBTQ+ protections and allyship.

It all began with a chat about pronouns, with 53-year-old out gay housemate, Philip Regan, complaining, “Me, growing up, my generation, it was 'him' and 'he.' Now everything is different,” he said, making a point about gender identity.

Burnett asked whether his problem concerned gender expression, and Regan, who is a content creator from Liverpool known as The Queen of Scotty Road, replied: “Just not that, everything. You can’t talk about nothing. If you wanna be classed as a fridge, you’re classed as a fridge," he said.

"Fundamentally, we all know who we are, what we identify as, how we define ourselves," replied Burnett. "It is no one else’s business to tell you who you are, what your sexuality is, and we should never assume who anyone is until they tell you."

Burnett added that her own mother is an "amazing trans ally," and that prompted a question from Omar El Mayer, a 21-year-old jewelry merchant, who asked what it means to be an ally. The other housemates explained "ally" means being a "supporter" or "friend."

"I’ve got a question for you,’" Omar then said to Burnett, and revealed that in addition to not knowing the term "ally," he also doesn't know the difference between a trans woman and a trans man. "Let’s say you’re at a restaurant; there are two bathrooms: A boy bathroom and a girl bathroom. A transgender man who became a woman walks into the girl bathroom, and there are quite a few girls in there who feel uncomfortable. How do you deal with a situation like that?"

"Our government is obsessed with genitals. It’s ridiculous," replied Burnett, apparently in reference to the latest official guidance that limits trans people in Great Britain to using bathroom facilities that "match their biological sex," as Out reported in August.

That remark caught the attention of Rochelle Rackham, the 57-year-old housewife, who up until this moment was across the room, furiously mopping up the kitchen.

"I wouldn’t be happy with a transgender in the toilet with me," added Rackham. Regan chimed in: "I know what you mean."

"This is where community comes in," offered Burnett, to which Regan replied, "I know all about community."

"If you think beyond yourself," continued Burnett, "if you think about the LGBTQI community, which is so expansive and inclusive, but also we can have infighting, and any religious community, where looking after each other is such a beautiful thing. We have to protect community at all costs."

El Mayer then introduced the question of trans athletes: "Can transgender people participate in cisgender sports?"

"Yes!" said Burnett. "That’s my belief, because if you are a trans woman, you are a woman, and I believe that you should be able to compete alongside your gender."

That was enough for Regan, who retired to the bedroom to "lie down." But as fans of Big Brother know, there are cameras and microphones there, too. So viewers heard his private comments to 24-year-old model and property developer Lynx Noumey: "It’s going worse. She’s talking about transgenders now. That’ll cause fucking murder."

He accused Burnett of trying to "cause trouble."

Attitude UK reported on the reactions from viewers on social media, who welcomed Burnett's comments and praised her for "standing up" for the community but slammed her housemates for showing what they called their "true colors" and for being "ignorant."

On Instagram, 2025 housemate Sam Ashby torched Regan: "You are a gay man and you are pressed about people who call themselves they/them. Get a fucking life.”

@HumanNature91 expressed embarrassment to be watching the show in a post on X. "The homophobia is palpable and the transphobia is obvious!" they wrote. "I’m so sorry for any trans person watching this show tonight."

User @frankiecavaa declared they are "sick of these people" for being "closed-minded," and @telephonehigh called it "disappointing" to learn housemates were "either bigots or too afraid to speak up for trans people."

And user @nopetynopehaha called the conversation a "ticking timebomb," while @MCJPeel denounced Regan as "a horrible, hate-filled little man" and asked why the network, ITV, isn't "punishing Philip and Rochelle for their hideous transphobia."

As Metro reported, producers on last year's show issued a formal warning to housemate Caroline Monk for misgendering and offending Zelah Glasson, who is a trans man. Glasson himself weighed in on Rackham's remark in an Instagram comment he posted on a clip from Sunday night's show: "Would love to see Rochelle’s face when she realizes that her logic means she wants me in the same bathroom as her," he wrote, adding a rolling eyes emoji.

Big Brother UK can be viewed on YouTube and outside the United Kingdom by using a VPN (virtual private network) to connect to ITV's streaming platform via this link for ITVx.