Today in a qualified round of applause:

Above: Friedman, seen here probably 
thinking about unfettered capitalism.

I'm not like, usually one to applaud the actions of a giant corporations. Usually if a company is doing something right, it's because there's some kind of financial reason. I think this is the dead hand of Milton Friedman reaching out from the past with his "corporations have no moral or social obligations to anyone but the shareholders" nonsense. Which, fine, I get the logic, but it's a cynical way to exist as an entity, and probably the root philosophy behind everything that's wrong with everything.  

The arts? Sorry kids, we just don't have
the money. Say, have you thought about
joining the army? We've got tanks!

Anyway, my point is that when a business takes a stand on something, it's usually because they feel that it's more profitable than it is to do otherwise. But the BBC, right? Like, its funding is partly public partly from oversees licensing of its programming, so it's not like an ABC or a Netflix, but more like PBS. I think. I don't know, I'm not an expert on publicly funded arts, I'm an American and we refuse to fund anything that doesn't have blast radius. So a qualified round of applause for the BBC. You heard me: qualified. 

"Waaaah! But my worldview!"

-transphobes*

Ok, but what did they do right? They shut down internet trolls that's what. Doctor Who internet trolls, no less. Because out of the however millions of people who watched the episode "The Star Beast," a hundred and forty four of them complained about Donna Noble's trans daughter existing. Presumably by filing an online complaint from the basements and rapture bunkers from which they monitor the internet and all streaming media for signs wokeness and the queer agenda or whatever. Behold:

"As regular viewers of Doctor Who will be aware, the show has and will always continue to proudly celebrate diversity and reflect the world we live in. We are always mindful of the content within our episodes. So sod off."

-The BBC's official statement in respo-

Huh? Fine, I added the sod off bit

But, I mean, the sod off is implied...

Whoa...hold on...

Well done. But you may have noticed that I said "a qualified round of applause." What's giving me pause is their summation of the complaints found on their complaint page:

"We have received complaints from viewers who object to the inclusion of a transgender character in the program and from others who feel there are too few transgender people represented."

-The BBC, giving me pause

Wait, what? I have no doubt that there very well might be viewers writing the BBC and pointing out that one trans character is a start, but not there yet. And they would be correct. So while I applaud the BBC for firing back at the shitty transphobes, but I'm not sure they needed to both sides, this, you know?

Sixty years and exactly one named trans character? The too-fewers have a point.

*not this specific child, this is just a pic I found online. I'm sure the kid's fine and not at all an actual transphobe. Probably.