Over the weekend the singer Sam Smith released a statement which read: “I’ve decided I am changing my pronouns to THEY/THEM.” Coming from a pop artist who has sold over 20m records, this felt like a moment where non-binary hit the mainstream. Sam’s post sparked a debate about gender, identity and language. Tom Rasmussen is a drag queen, writer and actor who identifies as non-binary, and Sam Smith credited Tom for helping them understand what it is to be this. We invited Tom into the Beyond Today studio to talk about pronouns, Celine Dion, and the trickiest conversations they’ve had with their mum.  Producers: Lucy Hancock and Alicia Burrell
Mixed by Nicolas Raufast
Editor: John Shields

Sam Smith: what’s the problem with ‘them’?

Beyond Today is the daily podcast from Radio 4 that asks one big question about one big story in the news - and beyond. Tina Daheley, Matthew Price, and a team of curious producers search for answers that change the way we see the world. They speak to the BBC’s unrivalled global network of reporters, plus occasional special guests, to tell stories about identity, technology, and power - where it lies and how that is changing.

News

Drill music has a reputation for inciting violence and crime. The Metropolitan Police believes the genre is linked to the rise of stabbings and murders across London, and the Met chief Cressida Dick has said social media platforms should be more vigilant of drill content being uploaded online.
 
But many argue that drill is not only a form of expression, but it’s also the reality for many young black men who live in urban areas across the country. With attempts being made to ban the genre, what does this mean for those who socially and financially rely on it?
 
The BBC’s Oliver Newlan explores how an attack on one of the country's biggest drill artists led to a number of deaths in north London, while Professor Forrest Stuart at Stanford University explains why we need to understand drill in order to understand the perspective of young black and brown men living in urban poverty.
 
Presenter: Matthew Price
Producer: Seren Jones
Mixed by Emma Crowe
Editor: Philly Beaumont

Do we really understand drill?

At first coronavirus was just a health story, but now it’s pretty clear employment and the economy are taking a massive hit.
Travel bans have led to airlines cutting jobs and the hospitality sector is in trouble as people stay at home. In this episode we ask what will happen to workers. It’s a global problem so we speak to Harriet and Ray, a freelance couple in New York, as well as documentary director Emily in London.
We also speak to Chris Giles, Economics Editor at the Financial Times, about some of the things being done elsewhere to help people who lose work because of the virus. Presenter: Matthew Price
Producers: Duncan Barber and Philly Beaumont
Mixed by Emma Crowe
Editor: Philly Beaumont

Will coronavirus take away our jobs?

Kiley Reid’s debut novel shot into the bestsellers list and has been lauded by critics here and in the US. Such A Fun Age follows the lives of babysitter Emira Tucker, a young black woman, and her wealthy, white employer Alix Chamberlin in post-Obama America. Kiley’s book explores race, class and wealth, and how well-meaning wokeness can actually exacerbate those issues. Presenter: Tina Daheley
Producers: Alicia Burrell and Katie Gunning
Mixed by Emma Crowe
Editor: Philly Beaumont

Is wokeness just white guilt?

The world is in the midst of a pandemic. For most people, symptoms of the virus are mild, they might develop a cough and a fever before getting better. This has led many people to compare the new coronavirus to seasonal influenza. But, for a minority of those affected, particularly older people and those with underlying heart or lung conditions, the new coronavirus can cause severe difficulty breathing, and in about 1% of cases, death.  Infectious diseases expert, Dr Nathalie MacDermott tells Matthew Price how seasonal flu compares to pandemics past and present, why Trump’s travel ban won’t work and the lessons she’s learned from the front line of Ebola. We also speak to a British man in isolation in Wuhan, China about his experience of the virus. Presenter: Matthew Price
Produced by Rory Galloway and Lucy Hancock 
Mixed by Emma Crowe
Edited by Philly Beaumont

Is coronavirus 'worse' than flu?

Most people who transition to another gender do not have second thoughts. In fact de-transitioning is thought to be relatively rare. There are no accurate figures revealing how many people reverse or change their gender, as academic researchers have never studied a large group of transitioning people over a long period of time – but some studies suggest that fewer than 0.5 per cent of trans people choose to return to the gender they were assigned at birth.  Whatever the numbers, we know that more people are telling their stories. Around the world there are trans men and trans women who have decided to de-transition, and it’s often not an easy choice. Others have chosen to re-identify as non-binary or gender-fluid.  We speak two BBC journalists, Linda Pressly and Lucy Proctor, who’ve made a documentary for the World Service called The Detransitioners. They’ve spent the last year talking to people who had transitioned, but then returned to their birth gender.   
Presenter: Tina Daheley
Producer: Katie Gunning
Mixed by Emma Crowe

Sam Smith: what’s the problem with ‘them’?

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