Lorraine Kelly: My daughter couldn’t believe it was illegal to be gay in my lifetime
TV star Lorraine Kelly has recalled how her daughter couldn’t believe that homosexuality was illegal in the UK during her lifetime.
The star was in Glasgow last night at Scotland’s first LGBTI awards ceremony.
Kelly was named the Journalist of the Year at the awards, which was organised by the Equality Network, and attended by about 400 people.
Speaking to PinkNews at the event, she talked about featuring LGBT issues on her ITV show.
She said: “We have things on because I want to know more about the person, I think they’ve got amazing stories to tell, and also I think it makes people feel less isolated.
“When you see someone who is in the army and who is a trans woman, and who has gone through all of that, or someone who is an entertainer, or someone who is just getting on with their life… Whether it is Kelly Maloney who is everywhere or Caitlyn [Jenner] who is everywhere – or whether it is someone who just happens to be trans is just working their way through life.”
Going on, Kelly said her daughter found it hard to believe that homosexuality was illegal during the TV star’s lifetime.
“I think it has got better but I think it can do a hell of a lot more. My daughter is 21, and I remember having the conversation with her – saying ‘you know when I was alive you know it was still illegal to be gay’ – her jaw nearly hit the floor – she just couldn’t believe how mad that was.”
PinkNews pointed out that gay sex was illegal in Scotland until 1980, to which she said: “I’m embarrassed about that – we are usually very good and very in the forefront on things like that its remarkable.
“People are so much more open minded and so much more open to things. We shouldn’t be having this conversation – in a way. One day we won’t be and that will be really good.”
Continuing, she reflected on how things had changed: “Before it would be a story about someone being bullied for being trans or gay, or someone who has had a bad time but now its like ‘look what this person has achieved’, this is amazing. That’s the kind of story we love to be doing – celebrating everybody.”
