Bethany Antonia Addresses "Strictly Come Dancing" Slogan Edit

Bethany Antonia, star of "House of the Dragon," has spoken out regarding a decision by "Strictly Come Dancing" to edit out a T-shirt slogan she wore in support of transgender rights. The slogan, "protect the dolls," is used to express solidarity and advocate for the safety and visibility of transgender women.

The BBC show had shared a clip of Antonia during rehearsals on social media, featuring her wearing the T-shirt. However, when the segment was broadcast on a live show, the slogan had been edited out. Antonia, 28, commented on the edit, telling Digital Spy that she wore the T-shirt without considering it might be linked to a charity or perceived as branding. "The BBC had to do what they had to do when they edited it out, to keep it fair for everybody," she stated. "But I stand with my trans family in every way, and they knew what I was thinking when I wore that T-shirt. And that’s all that matters."

Fans expressed anger on social media platform X, describing the censoring as "outrageous" and accusing the BBC of becoming increasingly homophobic and transphobic. This incident follows the recent announcement that the BBC had canceled "RuPaul's Drag Race" after 11 seasons.

A BBC spokesperson issued a statement explaining the decision: "As is standard practice on any entertainment show on the BBC and in line with our editorial guidelines, appropriate steps are taken to reduce the inclusion of any overt branding or slogans that may be present, regardless of the wording or statement in question."

During the same show, Antonia and her professional dance partner, Nancy Xu, performed an Argentine Tango. They received mixed feedback from the judges, with scores totaling 25 points. The pair had previously been saved by the judges in a dance-off against Dame Sarah Storey the previous week.