Ian ‘H’ Watkins has told Dancing On Ice producers they need to cast a transgender contestant
Image Source/ PinkNews
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The Steps star competed on last year’s series of the ITV ice skating competition with professional skater Matt Evers, with the pair becoming the first all-male coupling on the show.
And now, the ‘Stomp’ hitmaker has called for the programme to “embrace all of those minorities” by getting more people from the LGBTQ+ community to compete.
He told The Sun newspaper’s Bizarre column:
‘Everyone knew it was going to be two girls on ‘Strictly’ this year because we did it in Dancing On Ice last year.
‘I messaged the ‘Dancing On Ice’ producers telling them they should get a trans contestant.
‘We need to embrace all of those minorities so we can become one whole fabulous community’.
After H and Matt made history as the first all-male pairing on Dancing On Ice, Olympic legend Nicola Adams was recently unveiled to be in a same-sex pairing on rival show Strictly Come Dancing.
And H believes that by having LGBTQ+ stars on major TV shows, it will help wipe out homophobia.
He added:
‘There’s some really f***ing nasty people around. The messages of hate are just still awful in this day and age’.
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During his stint on Dancing On Ice, H and Matt were targeted with “hideous” insults.
He said previously:
‘The reaction was incredible – a lot of the comments were overwhelmingly supportive, but when people call you hideous names and say things like “It’s not natural” or “You’re a f****t”, all of those awful names, for me, they’re a dagger in my heart.
‘I think the world has progressed and changed so much, but those kinds of people still exist and will come into contact with my children.
‘And those bigots will breed more bigots and we’re bigger and better than that now, as a society. It’s changed so much, but there’s still a small minority that breeds negativity and it’s hideous’.
The pair’s routine sparked 16 complaints to TV watchdog Offcom and the One For Sorrow hitmaker found the objections hurtful.
He said:
‘It hurts, because 16 people were offended so much by two guys dancing on ice together – it’s not like we were ripping each other’s clothes off and snogging. It’s crazy!
‘I thought what we did was very tasteful, it was strong, it was dynamic’.
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