Lorraine Kelly says anti-trans bigotry ‘makes no sense’: ‘It’s social media giving nutters a voice’

Lorraine Kelly has called for people to be more “tolerant” of the transgender community, and dubbed those with anti-trans views as social media-dwelling “nutters”.

The Scottish TV personality and Lorraine host told The Guardian over the weekend (8 March) that she put a trans character in her debut novel, The Island Swimmer, in hopes of normalising the community amid increasingly pernicious culture wars.

Lorraine Kelly explained that despite her reputation as a national sweetheart, she has a “tough” side that comes out when defending causes she believes in.

She went on to give the example of people being “unkind” to the trans community, and shared a personal anecdote from her days as a schoolchild in the seventies.

“When I was at school there was this lovely person who was our bus driver, bravest person I’ve met in my life. Her name was Jane. She used to be a chap and was now a trans woman,” she explained. “Jane got people speaking s**t to her, saying offensive things. I remember saying to somebody, ‘Shut your face, don’t be so bl**dy rude.’”

Kelly went on to express her disappointment that, despite her classmates’ offensive remarks, society seemed to be more open-minded back then when it comes to trans people compared to today.

“We were much more tolerant. Again, it’s social media giving nutters a voice. It makes no sense to me. I know a fair few people who are trans and they just want to get on with their lives. I don’t think trans people should have to come on the television, or be part of the debate, to justify their existence,” she said.

“I just think everyone has to be a bit more tolerant. That’s why I put a trans person in my book.”

The Island Swimmer is about a woman named Evie who returns to her home of Orkney, Scotland, when her father falls ill. While there, she reconnects with an old friend, a cold water swimmer and trans woman, Freya.

“Freya being trans is probably the least interesting thing about her. I was keen to show she’s just Freya. I love her. She’s just a lovely, lovely person,” Kelly said of the character.

It’s far from the first time Lorraine Kelly has voiced her support for trans people. Back in 2022, also speaking to The Guardian, the queen of daytime TV reflected on her infamously tense exchange with former University of Sussex professor Kathleen Stock during a 2021 episode of Lorraine.

Stock had chosen to step down from her role at the university after weeks of student protests over her views on trans people, and claimed that she was being “silenced”.

During her national TV appearance, Stock saw Kelly’s “tough” side come out, as Kelly emphatically stated her pro-trans stance.

“I was able to disagree with her. Because I think trans women are women and trans men are men. That’s my belief. And, at the end, people can make their own mind up. But it was important for me to say that and to show my support,” she told The Guardian.

“I’ve got a lot of pals who happen to be trans or they happen to be whatever… who cares?! They’re all just human and that’s a part of who they are.

“People should just be a bit more tolerant, because trans people are currently going through, I think, what gay people went through. It’s a hard road, it really is.”

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