30 October 2023 , 13:50
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Big Brother fans have accused Paul Blackburn of making comments that could be considered transphobic - and have sparked a petition to have him removed from the house, even though ITV says they can find no proof of their claims.
The 23-year-old security guard from Liverpool caused offence among fans who claimed he compared a Halloween decoration to 18-year-old transgender contestant Hallie Clarke - who was evicted from the house last week. Since Hallie’s shock departure, the Big Brother house has been transformed into a haunted mansion - with huge decorations being set up around the compound.
Among the decorations were large skeleton decorations that were displayed in the living and garden areas. Some fans watching the late night live-stream from the Big Brother house via ITVX noticed that one of the skeleton’s in the garden had been decorated further by the housemates - with a bra stuffed with oranges being added to represent breasts, and another object being added to represent a penis.
Fans have claimed that Paul joked that the skeleton should be named after Hallie. Hallie herself had explained while she was in the house that she had aspirations of winning the show so that she could use the prize money to pay for gender reassignment surgery.
However, a spokesperson for Big Brother has said there has been no evidence the comment fans are frothing over online was mentioned. They said: "We are currently looking at footage following speculation on social media and while this process continues, at this time we have not yet found any references to the skeleton being compared to former housemate Hallie nor any transphobic comments.”
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Big Brother fans think Paul Blackburn should be kicked off the show (ITV)Furious Big Brother fans have hit out at Paul via X, and many are demanding that ITV remove him from the social experiment. One outraged viewer wrote: "Completely flew again tonight. Well that was an interesting live stream. Paul showcasing how transphobic he really is with the skeleton in the garden. I'm so mad about that, still hoping that I heard that wrong but if that is true then big brother should intervene #bbukD!"
Drawn to the comment, another fan of the show asked: "Could you enlighten me please i saw them positioning the skeleton in the house but didn't hear what they said?" To which the user replied: "They named this skeleton Hallie and then did this to it. There's something in between it's legs. It doesn't look good..."
Other fans of the ITV show also claimed to have heard Paul make the comment. One wrote: “On last nights Live Feed, Paul put something between a skeletons legs and said ‘that one’s called Hallie’. He then told Olivia that when Yinrun sees it ‘she’s not gonna like it’.”
A skeleton was dressed up to add breasts and a phallus (ITV)
Hallie was the third contestant to be evicted from the 2023 season (James Shaw/REX/Shutterstock)Another blasted the show, writing: “Paul needs to be held accountable for this, Big Brother better speak up. #BBUK... This should lead to immediate removal. No excuses @itv do you condone transphobia or not?” While another asked: “Can we write to Ofcom?”
During her time in the Big Brother house, Hallie spoke candidly about her personal journey. She told her fellow housemates of her gender on the second day of the show, explaining: “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.”
She also opened up to fellow housemates to explain she had struggled to get medication to help her feel comfortable in her body, and that her mother had mad sacrifices in order to afford hormone treatment for her. Speaking of her plans of what to do with the prize money if she won Big Brother, Hallie said: “If I win I’m gonna get a vagina. A designer vagina, that’s what I want. And I’m going to pay my mum back for all the years she paid for my treatment."