Lorraine Kelly has spoken out after being accused of misgendering Sam Smith on her daytime show.
During Thursday’s edition of Lorraine, the presenter and guest Vogue Williams discussed the previous night’s Barbie premiere, and the outfits worn by stars on the pink carpet.
When it came to Sam Smith’s stand-out outfit, Lorraine was heard commenting: “It’s a bit big for him.
“If he was my son, I’d be saying, ‘Son, that’s too big for you.’... He’s going to stand out. He knows what he’s doing, does that fella.”
Lorraine’s remarks sparked a lot of conversation on Twitter, due to the fact that the Grammy-winning musician is non-binary and uses gender-neutral pronouns.
When one viewer accused Lorraine of “lazy journalism” by not “addressing Sam Smith with they/them pronouns” in a now-deleted tweet, the presenter quickly responded: “Fair comment… not in the least intentional but will take on board.”
“Thanks for bringing to my attention,” she added, alongside a heart emoji.
ITV had no additional comment when contacted by HuffPost UK.
The Stay With Me singer came out as non-binary in September 2019, saying at the time: “After a lifetime of being at war with my gender I’ve decided to embrace myself for who I am, inside and out.
“I’m so excited and privileged to be surrounded by people that support me in this decision but I’ve been very nervous about announcing this because I care too much about what people think but fuck it!”
They continued: “I understand there will be many mistakes and misgendering but all I ask is you please please try. I hope you can see me like I see myself now. Thank you.”
On the subject of pronouns and misgendering, Sam told Zane Lowe last year: “I just want to create a safe space for everyone. But also, we’re all learning together.
“The pronoun thing is interesting, because mistakes happen. Even me, I make mistakes quite a lot, and it’s an uncomfortable feeling making a mistake. Editing yourself is great, but I think it’s really good for people to see you mess up … and then correct yourself.”
Observing that “changes in language ... take time”, they shared: “We need to lean into the uncomfortable feeling of being wrong sometimes, because it’s okay… we’re all in it together.”
Help and support:
- London Lesbian & Gay switchboard (LLGS) is a free confidential support & information helpline for LGBT communities throughout the UK | 0300 330 0630
- Manchester Lesbian and Gay Switchboard is a free support, information and referral service for the Manchester and North-West area | 0161 235 8000
- Stonewall for more information on other LGBT services and helplines | 08000 502020