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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Charlotte McIntyre

Sky News presenter repeatedly misgenders Sam Smith in debate over music video

Sky News Australia anchor Rita Panahi referred to Sam using the wrong pronouns while discussing the pop star.

The host discussed Sam's latest controversial video I'm Not Here To Make Friends with YouTuber Oli London.

The controversial YouTuber, who was born to two white British parents and claims to "be Korean" after undergoing surgery to look like K-pop star Jimin, slammed the singer.

"When people look at the LGBT community, they think, 'This is normal – urinating, having these golden showers in the music video, having these people in leather bondage writhing around on the bed,'" he told the host.

"We shouldn't look at Sam Smith and think, 'This is what all LGBT people are like,'" he continued.

Oli London (right), who previously identified as non-binary, ignored the host misgendering Sam Smith (Sky)

"And I think YouTube should have a content restriction because why should a five or six-year-old have that recommended in their search engine when they're on YouTube?

"Why should they be exposed to something so sexual it should at least have an 18 plus rating?"

Oli, who previously identified as trans and non-binary, ignored the misgendering.

Sam Smith was repeatedly misgendered by the Australian host (Scott Garfitt/Global/REX/Shutterstock)
Sam Smith's music videos have faced a backlash and calls for them to be age-restricted (David Fisher/REX/Shutterstock)

The YouTuber used they/them pronouns before coming out as a transwoman and then subsequently announced he was "detransitioning" to a man.

He blamed "woke culture" for his previous transition after spending six months living as a woman and undergoing feminising facial surgery.

Speaking to Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1 in a recent interview, Sam revealed they had been spat at in the street after coming out as non-binary.

Sam Smith revealed they have been "spat at" after coming out as non-binary (Getty Images for The Recording A)

"I think all the only negatives in the struggle have been in my public life and my job. And just the amount of hate and s****ness that came my way was just exhausting," they said.

"It was in the f****** news. Someone spat at me in the street. It's crazy.

"What I find hard about it is it's like, if that's happening to me and I'm famous, I'm a pop star, can you imagine what other kids, like queer kids are feeling? 'And it's just so sad that we're in 2023 and it's still happening. It's exhausting and especially in England."

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