Shaw Media has appeared to back away from an earlier statement that it would broadcast a reality show featuring transgender beauty contestant Jenna Talackova.

According to a CBC story, Shaw is now saying that programming chief Barbara Williams "misinterpreted" a question, and this type of show "is not part of Lifetime's channel lineup and has not been commissioned by the network".

This isn't the first time that Shaw has sent mixed signals to the LGBT community. In 2008, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Network issued a negative ruling that Shaw Cablesystems had put an LGBT-oriented station, OUTtv, at a disadvantage by placing it on channel 370. This was adjacent to sexually explicit content, even though OUTtv wasn't providing this type of programming.

Talackova, who's from Vancouver, attracted international attention when she competed in the Miss Universe Canada pageant on May 19.

This came after she managed to get a decision overturned that had barred her from the competition because she was transgender.

Follow Charlie Smith on Twitter at twitter.com/csmithstraight.