Big Brother watchers were moved to tears as the housemates demonstrated a beautiful demonstration of inclusion.
Following the relaunch under the direction of AJ Odudu and Will Best, 16 housemates joined the new residence with the hopes of earning £100,000.
In classic Big Brother fashion, the cast is made up of people from all walks of life and is delightfully varied.
As a result, when one of the contestants made a daring declaration over the breakfast table, the reaction from viewers at home was heartfelt.
Hallie, the youngest housemate, informed her fellow housemates that she wasn’t being her ‘true self’ before admitting that she is transgender.
She began: ‘Hey, guys. I just have something to say. Yesterday I felt like I wasn’t being 100% authentic in myself.
‘I thought I’d let everyone know I’m trans, if you didn’t know already. I just thought I’d make that loud and clear. I’m a trans woman, if you didn’t know.’
Following that came a sweet moment in which people rushed to hug Hallie and assure her that she didn’t need to be frightened.
‘We’ve got you,’ Trish, 33, said sweetly.
Olivia, a 23-year-old Scottish dancer, then encouraged her colleagues performers to walk around the table and identify their pronouns and how they would want to be addressed.
The event lasted only a few seconds, but it left an indelible effect on viewers, who commended the ITV show for pioneering the way.
‘Within 5 minutes they checked about Halal food, checked each other’s pronouns and Hallie spoke about beng Trans – that’s how simple it is. No fuss, no eye rolls, no sighs, nothing, just respect’, tweeted one viewer.
‘The group going around the table stating their pronouns after Hallie came out now THATS true allyship’, wrote another.
‘Going round the table to confirm pronouns! Such a simple, courteous and lovely thing to do for each other’, one person tweeted.
Others admitted to being ‘in bits’ while witnessing the ‘wonderful’ moment.
‘Those couple of minutes when Hallie came out as trans, everyone fully accepting it and then going round the group asking for pronouns was the most inclusive, and underplayed, bit of TV I’ve seen in ages’, one BB viewer added.
Glyn Wise, who appeared on Big Brother in 2006, also tweeted: ‘Hello, my name is Glyn. Pronouns are he/him. Something we never did in 2006.’
He added: ‘But good that people can be themselves nowadays. How much we have advanced in 17 years.’
Later in the episode, it was evident that Hallie’s coming out had affected Kerry deeply.
Hello, my name is Glyn. Pronouns are he/him. Something we never did in 2006 #bbuk
— Glyn Wise (@GlynWise) October 9, 2023
Olivia asking everyone to clarify their pronouns was actually a beautiful reaction #BBUK
— Ben (@nottodayben) October 9, 2023
See, people are just accepting in the #bbuk house. Halal meat. Open discussion about eating requirements. Someone declared they are trans. Checked pronouns. Perfectly civilised. Polite. Move on. LOVE TO SEE IT. Love it. 🏳️⚧️#acceptance
— Luke ✨ (@lkwrnr) October 9, 2023
Within 5 minutes they checked about Halal food, checked each other's pronouns and Hallie spoke about beng Trans – that's how simple it is. No fuss, no eye rolls, no sighs, nothing, just respect. #BigBrotherUK #BBUK
— Sophie (@journo_sophie) October 9, 2023
Look how EASY it is to identify pronouns and MOVE ON #BBUK
— dollabilz⚡️ (@bilzyb) October 9, 2023
That pronouns chat was so important and wholesome #BBUK
— Em ❤️ (@lindseyseva) October 9, 2023
‘I feel incredibly protective over her,’ she said in the Diary Room.
Growing tearful, the 40-year-old NHS manager added: ‘I felt really privileged and for the poor girl to say she wasn’t being her authentic self… it was sad, but she’s told us now.’
Ahead of Big Brother’s return, new presenter AJ expressed her hopes that the 2023 housemates would be embraced in the same way as previous trans competitors, like as Nadia Almada and Luke Anderson, were.
‘It’s interesting because when we look back at the trans winners, we look back as a society and we were really celebrating those trans people on screen, so why isn’t that being replicated in our day-to-day life now?’, she said.
‘I think everyone, as a society, are only just starting to have these conversations thoroughly within their own communities but also sometimes it’s easy to lose sight – progressive change takes such a long time to happen.
‘You can’t just have a couple of trans winners on Big Brother and go, “our work is done, we’re all at one, peace and love.” Sadly, as we’ve experienced, that is not the case.’
Big Brother continues tomorrow at 9pm on ITV2 and ITVX.
