Ireland’s Eurovision act announced today that they have cut ties with their creative director after screenshots began to circulate showing that he had made a number of critical comments about transgender people and Ukraine. Wild Youth’s song “We Are One” is set to be Ireland’s entry into the upcoming Eurovision 2023 contest.
On Twitter, the group wrote: “Wild Youth is a band that stands for unity and kindness. Our song represents our beliefs as a band. We have cut all ties with Ian bantam and will not have him on or near our team or Eurovision Journey.”
The group also apologized to those offended by Banham’s remarks on social media, adding that they were “horrified.” Lead singer Conor O’Donohoe commented that he “felt sick” when he saw Banham’s tweets.
Banham’s ousting came just hours after a Twitter account dedicated to Eurovision news posted a thread with several screenshots showing that Banham had made critical comments about gender ideology and the war in Ukraine.
Emblazoned with a “trigger warning” for transphobia, the ESC Discord wrote that Banham’s remarks “contradict the values of the Eurovision Song Contest.”
Among the examples provided of Banham’s alleged “transphobia” was a reply the choreographer made to a tweet featuring a video of transgender Tiktoker Dylan Mulvaney on his “374th day of being a girl.” The original poster commented “I’ve never met a woman who acted like this,” to which Banham said: “That’s because he’s not a woman.”
In another one of his so-called infractions, Banham commented on a post regarding Zara Jade, a violent transgender rapist who was jailed earlier this year after tying up and stabbing another transgender individual. The convict was first reported as a “woman” by the BBC due to his self-declared gender identity, causing a wave of backlash which prompted them to change the wording of the headline.
Banham responded to a tweet on Jade, calling the violent convict a “man” and writing: “This clown world is ridiculous.”
In another tweet Banham was blasted for, he quote retweeted a video of a woman who identified as a bird named Horus, and commented “it’s a cult,” using clown emojis.
In addition to his critical comments about gender ideology, Banham made several remarks about last year’s Eurovision result, which saw Ukraine handed victory for their entry in what many perceived at the time was a politically-motivated move.
Banham wrote: “There’s a reason they call it the Eurovision ‘SONG’ contest! Not Eurovision ‘SUPPORT’ contest,” expressing that he believed Ukraine’s entry was not awarded the top spot on its merit as a song, but rather was chosen because of sympathy with the nation due to the conflict. Banham also congratulated the United Kingdom, which placed second, as the “winner.”
The ESC Discord account blasted the tweets as running “contrary” to Eurovision “celebrate[ing] diversity through music.”
ESD Discord shut down their Twitter comment section after a number of individuals rushed to defend Banham and agreed with his statements. Many of the replies expressing support for Banham were quickly hidden.
“Anyone claiming rapists are women is despicable. Your ‘values’ are depraved ESC,” one user responded.
“Your ideology is not my reality. If it’s your reality, then fine, but dont expect me to play along or affirm YOUR beliefs. Sex is fixed. That is factual. Not transphobic. Ian Banham seems clearly rooted in the real world, not ‘identifying’ as a hawk,'” another wrote.
I'm gonna give him a follow š
— RbbrKieran03 (@Kieran182003) April 25, 2023
– Nobody with a brain cell can call the bloke with blonde hair or Dylan a woman. Makes a mockery of actual trans people.
– šŗš¦ did get a sympathy vote last year, without it the winner would be either šŖš¦š¬š§šøšŖ, two of which have not won this millennium
Banham, who has since locked down his social media account, is a well-regarded choreographer and creative director, and has worked in the past with major acts including Kylie Minogue and Lily Allen.
He has also been a choreographer for top reality TV shows such as Dancing On Ice, Got To Dance, So You Think You Can Dance, Strictly Come Dancing and Dancing With The Stars.
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