Journalist Owen Jones called it a "genuinely major journalistic scandal". Transgender newsreader India Willoughby said it was "terrifying" for the BBC to "repeatedly [suggest] you belong to a group who are a threat to public safety". Charlie Craggs wrote for Attitude that the article was "public fear-mongering that conflated trans women with sexual predators". Shahrar Ali, a Green Party of England and Wales politician, praised the article for being "insightful" and "admirably exploring viewpoints from all sides". Posie Parker of The Spectator called the article "thought-provoking", saying that the interviews featured in the BBC article are proof that "Lesbians are under attack from predatory men". BBC journalist John McManus compared the "excellent" article favourably to the BBC's coverage of child rape by Jimmy Savile. According to PinkNews, McManus faced "resounding backlash" for the comparison, with Owen Jones saying "This is a BBC journalist comparing trans people to Jimmy Savile. Beyond belief, frankly."