It’s from a 2018 BBC3 documentary called Becoming A Trans Man – Leo. The 15-year-old child in the video plays with a Rubik’s Cube as Wolton, who was 31 at the time, enthusiastically grooms her into transitioning into a “man”, advocating chest binders, a double mastectomy and the irreversible mutilation of her genitalia (“Lower surgery – you want that”) that will, Wolton confirms, lead to her permanent sterilisation, as well as the destruction of her future adult sexual function.
The BBC presents it as a heartwarming tale of friendship.
As a journalist, readers, sometimes you want to pep a story up a bit. From time to time, it’s perfectly legitimate to sensationalise a relatively minor aspect of something in order to draw attention to a worthwhile but intrinsically dull subject.
At other times, you find yourself in the strange position of having to talk a subject down as much as you can, because if you simply report the facts calmly and neutrally it’ll sound so outrageous and ridiculous and deranged that everyone will think you’ve gone full-on, tinfoil-hat, pencils-up-the-nose insane.
TURABDIN on The Tactics Of Suicide: “ACCORDING to the Times of India her Urdu stretches as far as hello, goodbye, vote green and ramadhan mubarak, which…” Feb 27, 11:26
robertkknight on The Tactics Of Suicide: “Funny how certain folk talk about list votes and voting SNP versus unionist… How can people still think there’s a…” Feb 27, 11:20
Hatey McHateface on The Tactics Of Suicide: “Indeed, Alf. Beats me why nobody has ever painted that on the side of a bus. Indy would be an…” Feb 27, 11:14
TURABDIN on The Tactics Of Suicide: “Evidently England is nearing its existential Beachy Head. Scotland might enjoy the view, chained to its «partner», before tumbling into…..…” Feb 27, 11:01
Alf Baird on The Tactics Of Suicide: ““…it’s Scotland which is subsidising England to the tune of £150 billion each and every year..” Yes indeed, the UK…” Feb 27, 10:39
Hatey McHateface on The Tactics Of Suicide: “Seems to be agreement across the board, Bob. Brexit hurt UK GDP growth by around 7%. But what price independence,…” Feb 27, 10:31
Hatey McHateface on The Tactics Of Suicide: “If she wants to put up in your “consistency”, Cynicus, I’ll support that myself. Just to find out what it…” Feb 27, 10:18
CynIcus on The Tactics Of Suicide: “Is there anything to stop Hannah Spencer standing for the Scottish Parliament in May? . If she wants to put…” Feb 27, 09:56
Sven on The Tactics Of Suicide: “Indeed, articulate in both English and Urdu I believe, although I’m not sure she mentioned to her Urdu speaking electorate…” Feb 27, 09:22
robertkknight on The Tactics Of Suicide: “Post Brexit dust-settling now sees much in the way of buyer’s regret… Boris’s Brexit Bonus and it’s Blue Passport saw…” Feb 27, 09:21
Hatey McHateface on The Tactics Of Suicide: ““down to earth and very articulate” Sure, Cynicus, so articulate she even learned her new constituency’s first language – Urdu.…” Feb 27, 09:16
The Flying Iron of Doom on The Tactics Of Suicide: “Historians, help me out here – was it Iran in which the hard-left once sought to attain power by becoming…” Feb 27, 08:43
Cynicus on The Tactics Of Suicide: “Congrats to Hannah Spencer, Victor of Gorton and Denton The English Greens are not as mad as ours here in…” Feb 27, 08:42
Hatey McHateface on The Tactics Of Suicide: “Why would you describe a Green candidate (now MP) who campaigned in Urdu as English? Just curious!” Feb 27, 08:15
Hatey McHateface on The Tactics Of Suicide: “I think we all need to take some time out to reflect today. The country has lost a plumber. She…” Feb 27, 08:09
Bilbo on The Tactics Of Suicide: “I see that the English Greens won in the English by-election yesterday. Everybody is cheering them on as they defeated…” Feb 27, 07:45
Hatey McHateface on The Tactics Of Suicide: “A fascinating insight, Mark. In your legal counsel’s dealings with ScotGov, was it always a foregone conclusion you would serve…” Feb 27, 07:40
Debatable Lands on The Tactics Of Suicide: “The problem isn’t one of policy or ideology, it is a problem of competence and corruption. In both England and…” Feb 27, 07:14
Cynicus on The Tactics Of Suicide: “You can get 1000/1 against Tories, Libdems and others” Feb 27, 01:20
Cynicus on The Tactics Of Suicide: “Latest Gorton and Denton May election betting? Greens: 1/12 Reform: 10/1 Labour. 45/1” Feb 27, 01:05
Young Lochinvar on The Tactics Of Suicide: “Why is BBC news continuing the old canard (while reporting on Willie Clinton @ chez Epstein) that Ghislaine Maxwell is…” Feb 27, 00:55
Cynicus on The Tactics Of Suicide: “Agreed. Provided TACO Trump lives up to his acronym.” Feb 27, 00:54
Young Lochinvar on The Tactics Of Suicide: “RAF sites used by Epstein.. Isn’t Gordon Broon (newly thawed out of cold storage) complaining a little too loudly given…” Feb 27, 00:41
Young Lochinvar on The Tactics Of Suicide: “The above public information message has been brought to you courtesy of the Friends of Is Rye Ale and the…” Feb 27, 00:29
Young Lochinvar on The Tactics Of Suicide: “HMcH You need to remember when talking about “who is subsidising who” that for over 50 years Messr McCrone could…” Feb 27, 00:20
Mark Beggan on The Tactics Of Suicide: “Geri is my alter ego. You can thank the Scottish government for my early release.” Feb 26, 23:26
Andrew on The Tactics Of Suicide: “I couldnt ever bring myself to vote for a unionist party. I’ve too much self respect. Plus every vote for…” Feb 26, 22:57
Jimboagain on The Tactics Of Suicide: “You’ve missed the sectarian element in the Gorton vote. Longsight has long since been a muslim area and what used…” Feb 26, 22:44