The programme ‘Faites entrer le défendeur’, shown on 6 October 2024, featuring an appearance on RMC Découverte

A complaint was lodged with Arcom regarding the diffusion on RMC Découverte of the programme “Faites entrer le défendeur”, during which it was alleged that stereotypical remarks had been made about transgender people, notably due to an implicit link between being transgender and prostitution (“Prostitutes, transvestites – when they’re not working in the nightclubs of Paris and the surrounding area, it’s in the Bois de Vincennes and the Bois de Boulogne that they ply their trade.”), as well as the fact that the victim, described as having “begun their gender transition”, was systematically referred to using masculine pronouns.

This sequence, which had been the subject of criticism, had been temporarily revoked from the networks by the RMC BFM group. Meeting in plenary session on 6 May 2026, Arcom deliberated on the matter. Article 3-1 of Law No. 86-1067 of 30 September 1986 makes provision for Arcom “shall safeguard the portrayal of women in these programmes, in particular by fighting against stereotypes, sexist prejudices, degrading images, violence against women and domestic violence’, a commitment which the broadcaster undertook to honour in Article 2-3-4 of its agreement. In this case, the implicit link between trans identity and prostitution is likely to perpetuate sexist stereotypes.

In order to fight against such stereotypes, including those targeting transgender women, Arcom has conducted awareness raising work with the publisher to highlight the importance of handling information relating to trans identity with care, of fighting against all forms of discrimination, and of ensuring that a transgender person is addressed using a title consistent with their self-identified gender, as recommended by the Rights Defender.