Former Big Brother housemates and viewers have criticised several contestants after a heated discussion about pronouns, trans rights and single-sex spaces aired during Sunday night's episode.
The conversation began when late arrival Twinks discussed LGBTQ+ rights with fellow housemates, including Philip, who questioned changing attitudes towards gender identity and pronouns.
Speaking about pronoun use, Philip said his generation had grown up with "him and her", adding that "everything is different" now. When asked whether his concerns related to gender expression, he replied: "Just not that, everything. You can't talk about nothing."
Twinks pushed back on the comments, arguing that people should be free to define themselves without judgment. "Fundamentally, we all know who we are, what we identify as, how we define ourselves, and it is no one else's business to tell you who you are," she said.
Have ITV entirely scrapped the diversity and inclusion training this year? No idea what a microaggression is, being a gay ally is “a mad ting”, “I wouldn’t be happy with a transgender in the toilet with me.” Yikes. #BBUK
— Big Brother Superfan (@BB_Superfan) October 4, 2026
The discussion later turned to trans people and single-sex spaces, with housemate Omar asking how venues should respond if women feel uncomfortable sharing facilities with a trans woman.
Twinks criticised what she described as an excessive focus on gender and anatomy in political debates, while suggesting businesses could provide gender-neutral facilities. She also voiced support for trans women being able to compete in women's sport. "That's my belief, because you are a trans woman. You are a woman, and I believe that you should be able to compete alongside your gender," she said.
Rochelle also weighed in during the exchange, saying she would not feel comfortable sharing a toilet with a trans person, a view that Philip suggested was understandable.
The episode comes amid continuing debate following the UK Supreme Court's April 2025 ruling that the terms "woman" and "sex" in the Equality Act 2010 refer to biological sex. Subsequent guidance from the Equality and Human Rights Commission outlined how organisations should approach single-sex services following the judgment.
The conversation prompted a backlash from some LGBTQ+ viewers and former contestants, many of whom described the exchange as uncomfortable to watch.
Former Big Brother housemate Sam Ashby, who uses they/them pronouns, criticised Philip on social media over his comments about non-binary identities.
Meanwhile, former contestant Zelah Glasson, who is trans, challenged Rochelle's remarks, arguing that such views often fail to recognise how transgender people would be affected by restrictions on access to single-sex facilities.
Big Brother continues tonight at 9pm on ITV2 and ITVX.
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