Children in Need ex-chair: I was thrown under bus on transgender charity funding

The former chair of BBC Children in Need has claimed she was “thrown under the bus” for being a “whistleblower” on grants given to a transgender youth charity.

Rosie Millard stepped down from her role in November, saying she did not feel she had the full support of her board after she demanded Children in Need stopped funding LGBT Youth Scotland amid her fears it was “harming children”.

The charity, which said it engages in “life-changing work supporting LGBTQ+ young people in Scotland”, was given just under half a million in funding by Children in Need across 14 years.

But Ms Millard, in an interview with Times Radio, said she had discovered the charity had “a lot of problems which I felt would bring Children in Need into reputational damage”.

The charity acknowledged in a statement on its website that it has had “challenges”, including previous chief executive James Rennie being convicted in 2009 as a ringleader of Scotland’s biggest paedophile network.

It also noted that a contributor to a coming-out guide published by the charity in 2009 was convicted of crimes against children in 2024.

The charity said it condemns “any actions which harm children and young people”.

Its chief executive has accused Ms Millard of having “anti-inclusivity motives” and pointing to “historic allegations against us in attempts to destroy our reputation”.

While Children in Need did cancel funding to the charity, Ms Millard said she felt she could not stay on as she did not have the support of her board.

She told Times Radio: “I thought if BBC Children in Need does not cancel its grants to LGBT Youth Scotland, I would resign.

“In the end, it did cancel the grants, but I felt the board wasn’t really with me and you can’t chair a board if all the trustees are not in agreement together, so I had to go.”

On the board not supporting her, Ms Millard said she felt “such is the pressure to appear inclusive, that people bend over backwards to show that they are not prejudiced” regarding sexuality and gender.

Ms Millard said she had found the charity to be working in primary schools with a charter which she said “brought in notions of gender fluidity”.

She also questioned the charity’s approach on puberty blockers and chest binders.

She said: “I felt this charity was harming children, and Children in Need – the mission for Children in Need – is to support and help children, help them be the best they can be and not harm them.

“If that is being a ‘terf’ (trans-exclusionary radical feminist) then I’m proud to be one.”

Ms Millard said Children in Need funds seven other charities dealing with transgender issues and she had found all of them to be “above board”.

Asked if she felt “hounded out” of her role, she said: “I think my position was made untenable. And I think that if you are the whistleblower, then sometimes you’re going to get thrown under the bus.”

Asked if that is what had happened to her, Ms Millard replied: “Yep.”

When she stepped down, BBC director general Tim Davie paid tribute to Ms Millard for “her leadership over the past six years”.

He added: “She has had a significant impact on countless children and young people and we wish her all the best for the future.”

A BBC Children in Need spokesperson said funding had been immediately suspended when allegations were made regarding the charity, and funding was withdrawn following a three-month investigation.

In response to Ms Millard’s latest comments, the spokesperson insisted she had always had the support of the board.

They said: “The Children in Need board of trustees are supportive of the actions taken by the CEO and senior leadership team and stand by the decisions made. Rosie at all times retained the board’s support.

“In the wake of her resignation, in order to ensure any lessons learned are captured, the trustees have instigated a review of ways of working between the board and executive in which Rosie has kindly agreed to participate.”

LGBT Youth Scotland chief executive Mhairi Crawford said: “Time and time again, those such as Rosie Millard, who hold anti-inclusivity motives, point to historic allegations against us in attempts to destroy our reputation.

“Allegations that have been investigated and cleared by Police Scotland, and proven to have had no link to our charity and our work.”

On LGBT Youth Scotland, the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) said: “OSCR has received concerns about the charity in the past year.

“In the instances where regulatory issues have been identified, we are working with the charity so that appropriate follow-up action can be taken by the trustees.”