{"id":3025,"date":"2025-03-26T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-03-26T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pilotshopworld.com\/?p=3025"},"modified":"2025-03-26T18:44:07","modified_gmt":"2025-03-26T18:44:07","slug":"lorraine-kelly-its-my-duty-to-stand-up-for-trans-people","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/pilotshopworld.com\/index.php\/2025\/03\/26\/lorraine-kelly-its-my-duty-to-stand-up-for-trans-people\/","title":{"rendered":"Lorraine Kelly: \u2018It\u2019s my duty to stand up for trans people\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\t\t\"Lorraine\t<\/div>
Lorraine Kelly (Picture: Shutterstock)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For Lorraine Kelly<\/a>, there was no question she\u2019d grow up as an ally to the LGBTQ+<\/a> community.<\/p>\n

\u2018I found my tribe very early on,\u2019 she flippantly tells Metro as if that was the norm growing up in 1970s Glasgow. <\/p>\n

\u2018When I was a teenager, my best friend Ray was gay, then his friends became my friends, and your circle becomes wider.\u2019<\/p>\n

But it was during the HIV and Aids crisis<\/a>, watching a community being demonised while fearing\u2013or worse, losing \u2013 their lives, she sensed a change was coming and she knew she had to pick a side.<\/p>\n

\u2018I felt it was my duty to stand up and say, \u201cNo, this isn\u2019t right\u201d.\u2019<\/p>\n

We\u2019re talking the day before she\u2019s about to welcome Gavin and Luke Avaient-Sheppard to her chat show, a year after she officiated their wedding<\/a> on daytime television.<\/p>\n

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class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder-headline\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder\">\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder-headline\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\t\t\twindow.addEventListener(‘metroVideo:relatedVideosCarouselLoaded’, function(data) {<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tif (typeof(data.detail) === ‘undefined’ || typeof(data.detail.carousel) === ‘undefined’ || typeof(data.detail.carousel.el_) === ‘undefined’) {<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\treturn;<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t}<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tvar player = data.detail.carousel.el_;<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tvar container = player.closest(‘.metro-video-player’);<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tvar placeholder = container.querySelector(‘.metro-video-player__up-next-placeholder’);<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tcontainer.removeChild(placeholder);<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tcontainer.classList.add(‘metro-video-player–related-videos-loaded’);<br \/>\n\t\t\t});<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>It was a landmark day, 10 years since the first gay wedding in Britain and what could be more extra than having national treasure Lorraine Kelly conduct your service with Alfie Boe singing Foreigner as you say your vows to thousands of viewers?<\/p>\n<p>Granted, it\u2019s not throwing the first brick at Stonewall, but it\u2019s one of several moments Lorraine has used her chat show to platform the LGBTQ+ community to an audience of vastly diverse opinions and prejudices.<\/p>\n<div class=\"factbox\" data-ico=\"factbox_article\" data-track-module=\"factbox_article\">\n<h2 class=\"factbox-title\">\n\t\t\t\tJoin Metro's LGBTQ+ community on WhatsApp\t\t\t<\/h2>\n<div class=\"factbox-content\">\n<p>With thousands of members from all over the world, our vibrant <a href=\"https:\/\/whatsapp.com\/channel\/0029VaZmbEG8kyyPpsk8pS37\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/whatsapp.com\/channel\/0029VaZmbEG8kyyPpsk8pS37\">LGBTQ+ WhatsApp channel<\/a> is a hub for all the latest news and important issues that face the LGBTQ+ community.<\/p>\n<p>Simply\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/whatsapp.com\/channel\/0029VaZmbEG8kyyPpsk8pS37\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/whatsapp.com\/channel\/0029VaZmbEG8kyyPpsk8pS37\">click on this link<\/a><\/strong>, select \u2018Join Chat\u2019 and you\u2019re in! Don’t forget to turn on notifications!<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Decades after realising her duty, she is still standing up for the LGBTQ+ community.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018We\u2019re breaking down barriers in a gentle way,\u2019 she says. \u2018But I think it\u2019s actually more effective than perhaps a big documentary.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Lorraine regularly platforms trans stories, creating a safe space for LGBTQ+ people to be interviewed on daytime television without feeling interrogated for simply existing.<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps that doesn\u2019t sound particularly ground-breaking, but over the last decade or so, it\u2019s become increasingly rare for trans people to appear on television and not be asked: \u2018What is a woman?\u2019 or have<a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/piers-morgan\/\"> Piers Morgan<\/a> declare he\u2019s identifying as a \u2018penguin\u2019.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"363\" src=\"http:\/\/pilotshopworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Lorrainepressshot-d0e8.jpg\" class=\"article-image wp-image-22792067\" alt=\"Lorraine Kelly in blue PVC dress against red backdrop\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\t<\/div><figcaption>Lorraine Kelly: ‘The LGBTQ+ community has trused me with their stories’<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>That\u2019s if they make it onto television at all. Trans people have been debated so intensely daily, but rarely actually given the platform to speak up.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018People in the gay and trans communities have trusted me with their stories, they really have,\u2019 she says with pride.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018I don\u2019t like when trans people have to come on and try and justify their experience because no one else has to. It\u2019s really about showing the person behind the label \u2013 we\u2019re all far more complex than labels.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018People look at statistics and they don\u2019t see human beings so that\u2019s my job. The trans community has the odds stacked against them anyway, trying to navigate a new world that\u2019s gone backwards. When I grew up, people in the 70s and 80s and people were more tolerant about trans than they are now.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>In 2024, Lorraine released her feel-good debut novel, The Island Swimmer about a lonely woman who returns to her family home when her father falls ill. Despite vowing never to return, she befriends a group of cold-water swimmers led by her oldest friend, Freya.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Freya just so happens to be trans, but honestly that\u2019s the least interesting thing about her,\u2019 she says, giggling: \u2019There\u2019s a little bit of me in her, but she\u2019s essentially a human being getting on with her life.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018I know that anyone who is frightened or scared of trans people could sit down with Freya, if she were real, they\u2019d change their mind.\u2019<\/p>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"768\" src=\"http:\/\/pilotshopworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/SEI_197605514-bc39.jpg\" class=\"article-image wp-image-20538923\" alt=\"Lorraine Kelly officiates wedding between Gavin and Luke\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\t<\/div><figcaption>Gavin and Luke will be returning to Lorraine a year after tying the know on her show (Picture: ITV\/Shutterstock)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In 2019, Lorraine was reluctantly reunited with former GMTV colleague Esther McVey on Good Morning Britain. She went viral for <a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2019\/06\/10\/lorraine-kelly-breaks-character-snub-tory-pm-candidate-esther-mcvey-9884252\/\">brashly snubbing McVey<\/a> on live television in a somewhat humiliating exchange for the Conservative MP.<\/p>\n<p>Lorraine later clarified she was responding to some of the \u2018appalling\u2019 things McVey has said about the LGBTQ+ community.<\/p>\n<p>I ask if she\u2019s had to stand up to others at work or in her personal life when they\u2019ve shared similarly homophobic values.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Much less than you would imagine,\u2019 she says. \u2018We obviously have gay people working with us on my show, but I don\u2019t think anyone would say anything like that to me.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Lorraine might be a show that celebrates inclusivity, but Kelly remains firm that all sides of a debate are heard on her show, that all voices get their say, and ultimately it\u2019s the viewer that makes up their mind.<\/p>\n<p>In 2021, she welcomed academic Katheleen Stock, who at the time was on a promotional tour of her departure as a philosophy lecturer from the University of Sussex after being accused of transphobia.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>People in the gay and trans communities have trusted me with their stories<\/p>\n<p><title>Quote<\/title><title>Quote<\/title><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>\u2018It was a feverish time, wasn\u2019t it?\u2019 Lorraine asks.<\/p>\n<p>Since then, Stock has become a prolific figure in the so-called \u2018gender critical\u2019 movement, which has become somewhat obsessive in its quest to demolish trans rights.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018I think it was important to talk to her and for people to hear where she was coming from, even if I fundamentally disagree with her,\u2019 says Lorraine.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018I said to her, \u201cI believe trans women are women,\u201d and she doesn\u2019t, but we don\u2019t have to end up screaming at each other.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>In fact, Lorraine repeatedly stresses she is against censorship of any kind. But arguably it\u2019s trans people and their supporters who are being censored.<\/p>\n<p>Trans people are more often than not snubbed from the conversation about their existence, while trans allies are scared to speak out over fears of the abuse they receive for simply saying they \u2018believe in trans women\u2019.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018It\u2019s very sad,\u2019 says Lorraine. \u2018We have to remember we\u2019re talking about a very small part of the community who just needs understanding and our help.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018We\u2019re supposed to be more progressive, we\u2019re supposed to be more understanding, but we\u2019re going backwards in many ways.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>But the return of Gavin and Luke to Lorraine, marking their one year anniversary, is a glimmer of hope.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018We\u2019ve still come so far, now we have gay couples getting married and no one turns a hair, you know? I always said to one of my mates about gay marriage, \u201cit\u2019ll be a big deal when it\u2019s not a big deal.\u201d;<\/p>\n<p>For now, Lorraine\u2019s allyship remains a big deal, whether she feels it or not. <\/p>\n<p>But perhaps the next time Lorraine welcomes Gavin and Luke back on their show for a special anniversary, gay marriage or even being LGBTQ+ won\u2019t even need to be a topic of conversation.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Lorraine airs weekdays from 9am on ITV1, ITVX, STV & STV Player.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"factbox\" data-ico=\"factbox_article\" data-track-module=\"factbox_article\">\n<h2 class=\"factbox-title\">\n\t\t\t\tGavin and Luke talk to Metro \t\t\t<\/h2>\n<div class=\"factbox-content\">\n<p><strong>1.Tell us about your first year of marriage.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Our first year of marriage has been incredible\u2014full of love, laughter, and growth. Like any couple, we\u2019ve had our moments of learning and adjusting, but ultimately, it\u2019s been a beautiful journey of deepening our bond.<\/p>\n<p><strong>2. How often do people recognize you from getting married on Lorraine?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>It happens more often than we expected! Whether we\u2019re out for dinner or even just shopping, people will come up and say, \u201cAren\u2019t you the couple from Lorraine?\u201d It\u2019s always heartwarming to hear how our wedding touched them.<\/p>\n<p><strong>3. What was the response from Lorraine\u2019s viewers?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The response was overwhelmingly positive! We received so many messages of love and support\u2014people telling us how much it meant to see LGBTQ+ love celebrated so openly on national television. Some even said it gave them the courage to be themselves.<\/p>\n<p><strong>4. What did you do after the ceremony on Lorraine?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>After the ceremony, we had a little celebration with close friends and family on a roof top restaurant, soaking in the joy of the day. <\/p>\n<p>Of course, we also took some time to just reflect on the moment\u2014it was surreal and magical. We later went into Soho to continue the celebrations and ended up in a nightclub which was great fun.<\/p>\n<p><strong>5. How important is it to have such a high-profile ally like Lorraine?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s incredibly important. Representation matters, and having someone as beloved and respected as Lorraine support LGBTQ+ love sends a powerful message of acceptance.<\/p>\n<p><strong>6. How important was it to show how beautiful LGBTQ love is on national television?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Visibility is everything. Love is love, and showcasing our wedding on such a big platform helped normalize LGBTQ+ relationships. It\u2019s so important for people\u2014especially younger generations\u2014to see that their love is valid and celebrated.<\/p>\n<p><strong>7. What are your future plans as husband and husband<\/strong>?<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019re excited for the future! Whether it\u2019s traveling more, building our careers, or maybe even expanding our family one day, we\u2019re just looking forward to growing together and continuing this amazing journey as a married couple. <\/p>\n<p>Who knows\u2014we could end up on a reality show as a couple, demonstrating the love and unity of same-sex relationships. We love the idea of taking on new adventures together, sharing our journey, and continuing to be visible representatives of LGBTQ+ love. Whatever comes next, we\u2019re ready for something exciting! Watch this space\u2026<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>Got a story?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">If you\u2019ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the <a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\">Metro.co.uk<\/a> entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our <a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/submit-stuff\/\">Submit Stuff<\/a> page – we\u2019d love to hear from you.<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Lorraine Kelly (Picture: Shutterstock) For Lorraine Kelly, there was no question she\u2019d grow up as an ally to the LGBTQ+ community. \u2018I found my tribe very early on,\u2019 she flippantly<\/p>\n<p class=\"more-link\"><a href=\"http:\/\/pilotshopworld.com\/index.php\/2025\/03\/26\/lorraine-kelly-its-my-duty-to-stand-up-for-trans-people\/\" class=\"readmore\">Continue reading<svg class=\"icon icon-arrow-right\" aria-hidden=\"true\" role=\"img\"> <use href=\"#icon-arrow-right\" xlink:href=\"#icon-arrow-right\"><\/use> <\/svg><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Lorraine Kelly: \u2018It\u2019s my duty to stand up for trans people\u2019<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3027,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[10],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/pilotshopworld.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3025"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/pilotshopworld.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/pilotshopworld.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/pilotshopworld.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/pilotshopworld.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3025"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/pilotshopworld.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3025\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3031,"href":"http:\/\/pilotshopworld.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3025\/revisions\/3031"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/pilotshopworld.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3027"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/pilotshopworld.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3025"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/pilotshopworld.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3025"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/pilotshopworld.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3025"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}