Channel 7 Spotlight program under fire for episode claiming influencer Grace Hyland regrets gender t

Channel 7 has come under fire for “twisting” the words of social media influencer Grace Hyland by implying she regrets her gender transition in an advert for Sunday night’s Spotlight program.

According to advertisements, the upcoming episode will delve into the “thousands” of kids who regret transitioning, with “parents being left in the dark” as children are told to “change genders from as young as 12 years old”.

“Children are being told they should change from boy-to-girl, or girl-to-boy, from as young as 12 years old” a voice over plays, as photos of people — including influencer Grace Hyland — before and after their transitions are displayed.

Ms Hyland took to social media to express her confusion as to why Channel 7 had made it appear as though she was having second thoughts about her decision to change her gender.

“I transitioned at 13 and I don’t regret it at all,” Hyland posted to TikTok, 48 hours out of breast augmentation surgery.
A Seven spokesperson has since provided a statement:

“In a promotional video for 7NEWS Spotlight, the image of a transgender woman was shown during a voiceover discussing children expressing regret over transitioning.
“We acknowledge the photo might inadvertently imply that the individual in question regretted their transition. As soon as we were made aware the image was removed and the promo replaced.
We sincerely apologise for any confusion this may have caused.”

Ms Hyland accused Channel 7 of twisting the issue and used her platform on TikTok to try to set the record straight.

“Gender affirming healthcare in Australia needs more funding, it doesn’t need this negativity,” she said.

“And even though my face is in this, I don’t agree with it, I don’t stand for this story, I don’t stand for the sensationalism of this whole thing.

“Don’t get it twisted Channel 7.”

News.com.au contacted Ms Hyland and Channel 7 for comment.

Ms Hyland told her followers she wondered if her photos were chosen for the program because her father, Mat Stevenson, starred in Channel 7’s Home and Away.

“Is it because my dad was on Home and Away on Channel 7 back in the day? Is it because I’m a public figure? Is it because I’ve publicly defended child transitioning?” she asked.

“I mean why would you choose my face? My photos? It makes no sense.”

It’s far from the first time Channel 7’s Spotlight program has courted controversy.

Earlier this year, the program nabbed an interview with political staffer Bruce Lehrmann, who has strenuously denied raping his former colleague Brittany Higgins at Parliament House, and has never been found guilty in a court of law or anywhere else. A criminal trial had to be aborted due to juror misconduct, and a second trial was never brought before the courts over mental health concerns for Ms Higgins.

The news that Mr Lehrmann was appearing on 7 News Spotlight caused many to pronounce on social media their plans to boycott the channel.

Melissa Caddick’s husband Anthony Koletti also appeared on the program last year, and they even won an award for the piece.

However, it later emerged Mr Koletti was paid $150,000 for the tell-all TV interview in which he claimed the missing Ponzi scheme operator was subject to “inhumane” treatment during a raid on her luxury home.

In a 2021 interview with The Project, Ms Hyland shared details of her journey with her father by her side, describing how she knew she was a girl from a very young age.

“As young as maybe four or five, just really feeling that I was a girl, and I couldn’t explain it. And I just thought I was weird or destined for a life of unhappiness,” she told The Project.

Hyland told her stepmother when she was 12, who then supported her in sharing the news with her mum and dad. From there, she began her transition.

“I’d grow my hair out, get my name change sorted, sort out my blockers and then by the time I was 14, I was fully presenting as Grace to the public and at school.”

In the same 2021 interview, Hyland mentioned her support of children transitioning, detailing the consequences of going through the “wrong puberty”.

“If you let someone who identifies as trans go through the wrong puberty, they have to live with certain body characteristics that they can never get rid of. And that can be debilitating,” she said.

The process of transitioning isn’t as simple as walking into a doctor’s clinic, saying you’re transgender, and being sent away with medication, according to her.

She said that her experience included seeing a gender clinic for a whole year before receiving medication, adding that the decision making process was made with a team of doctors, psychologists, and psychiatrists.

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