Lorraine Kelly, 65, fumes ‘we’re going backwards’ as she claims it’s her ‘duty’ to ‘stand up’ for trans rights
Presenter Lorraine Kelly has argued society is “going backwards” in regards to trans rights.
The 65-year-old ITV host has been a vocal supporter of the LGBTQ+ community, and has recently focused efforts on the trans debate.
Kelly explained her teenage best friend had been gay, and that she “found her tribe very early on”.
Touching on the HIV and Aids crisis, she added how she quickly felt “it was my duty to stand up and say, ‘No, this isn’t right.'”
Speaking to Metro, the Scottish presenter continued: “We’re breaking down barriers in a gentle way.
“But I think it’s actually more effective than perhaps a big documentary.
“People in the gay and trans communities have trusted me with their stories, they really have.”
Kelly went on to state how she doesn’t like trans people having to “try and justify their experience”.
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Concluding her take on the debate, Kelly told the publication: “We’re supposed to be more progressive, we’re supposed to be more understanding, but we’re going backwards in many ways.”
Kelly isn’t a stranger to social media trolls herself, and spoke earlier this month about how she finds an X account tracking her absences from her self-titled ITV show “really hurtful”.
Despite previously laughing off the account, Kelly admitted to The Guardian that the scrutiny affects her and admitted: “It’s really hurtful, actually. It really is. I’ve not spoken about it before,” she said.
She emphasised she is “a grafter” who works “really hard” and has been in broadcasting for four decades.
The account, @LorraineKWatch, describes itself as the “self-appointed attendance officer of daytime TV” and has amassed over 26,000 followers.
It regularly posts updates on whether Kelly hosts her own show, often going viral with its oddly specific tracking, with the account last year posting that Kelly had hosted just 59.7% of episodes of her morning show.
Recent posts have highlighted when Kelly appears on other media while absent from her own programme.
One tweet read: “Despite not hosting her own show this morning, #Lorraine is currently appearing on BBC Radio 2… at the same time her self-titled ITV show airs.”
As of a recent update from the account, Kelly’s hosting stats currently stand at 67.5%, with the star explaining she initially reduced her schedule to care for her ill mother.
“Initially, it was for my mum who has been ill,” she told The Guardian before adding that she realised she enjoyed having Fridays off and wanted more time for other pursuits.