Trangender reality star ‘targeted by trolls’ after revealing new boyfriend
Transgender reality star Chelsey Harwood says she has been subjected to vicious abuse online from trolls after she posted a photo of herself and a new boyfriend.
The reality star – who appeared in ‘This is Liverpool’ and has also appeared in Hollyoaks – says she and her boyfriend have both been subjected to harassment after she shared the photo on Facebook.
She began tagging her new man in photos and leaving transphobic comments mocking her new romance.
Harwood, who has hundreds of thousands of followers across social media, explained she would previously blur the photos of anyone she was dating or put an emoji on their faces to protect their identity.
But two days ago she bravely posted the new snap of her and boyfriend Donny, insisting she shouldn’t have to hide her relationship because she is transgender.
There was a lot of positive feedback to the move, which received over 3000 likes on facebook, – but the pair were also subjected to torrents of abuse.
Harwood has hit back at the trolls, telling the Liverpool Echo “Why can’t I live my life the way I want to?
“As soon as I put the picture up, they were tagging my chap Donny like they knew him – cheeky.”
She told PinkNews: “You still have bigoted people who think oh you were born a man you will die a man.
“If people start to normalise being transgender, then in a few years time it will be like now were there’s not really any bigotry towards gay people… it’s widely accepted and if someone says anything against it you have 100,000 people signing petitions like they did against Tyson Fury.”
Speaking of the support she added: “It’s been very positive. It’s nice to know I’ve had genuine supporters. I’m made up”
Fans on her page left comments to show their support too, with one writing “So happy for you Chelsey your so amazing an your my inspiration I love you hunny” however a few trolls were lowering the tone and accusing some of Chelsey’s female supporters of being men themselves.
Some even considered the move to be a publicity stunt, with one user writing “I don’t know why your on Facebook you’d have a much easier life if you wasn’t such an attention seeker..”
But Chelsey, who says she knew she was different from the age of 8 has been defiant, continuing to post photo’s of herself and her boyfriend.
After coming out as gay at 16, she didn’t realise she was transgender until 19 after realising she “actually wanted to be a woman when I saw transexuals and transvestites in nightclubs.
“I thought they looked beautiful. I told my family and they were surprisingly supportive”.
Click here to read the reality star’s interview with PinkNews.
