Will Young has proven himself to be a trans ally no matter what (Picture: Getty)
Pop star Will Young has vocalised his support for transgender rights, calling for better representation for the community.
The Pop Idol contestant, 43, proudly expressed his allyship following the results of the 2021 Census, which counted LGBTQ+ people in the UK for the very first time.
In total, 3.2% of the population say they are lesbian, gay, bisexual or another sexual identity that is not straight, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) found.
Meanwhile, there are 262,000 openly trans people in England and Wales – or 0.5% of the population.
Speaking about the findings on Channel 4 News, actor and singer Will said there is a ‘huge amount of misrepresentation of transgender people.’
‘I think that you probably can see, going back to the gay rights struggles and particularly with AIDS and HIV, I think there’s a weird disparity. I feel like it’s very difficult for trans people to tell their stories,’ he began.
‘Even, for example, I’ve been looking at doing, very much with transgender people, because I am a white, middle class gay man, a documentary on what is it like to be transgender? Who can tell the stories? And very few broadcasters want to touch it. I think that’s very interesting to me.’
Getting political, the Leave Right Now hitmaker continued: ‘I think transgender people think the issue has been so politicised by the Conservatives and we see it when a minority group is picked up and people try to attack them and people then become afraid of them. It really worries me.’
Broadcaster Krishnan Guru-Murthy interjected: ‘Is it fair to say it’s politicised just by the Conservatives?’
The singer believes the government are creating ‘fear’ around the trans community (Picture: Karwai Tang/WireImage)
Explaining his point, Will responded: ‘No, it’s not fair, I agree with you. I think you see it with Labour as well, Lib Dems… I suppose I’m using the Conservatives because they’re in government.’
‘But what it does, it creates fear,’ he stated.
‘Yes, there is some unity with gay people and the struggle that they had, and a huge amount of empathy, and I’m constantly educating myself.’
The 2021 Census asked questions relating to gender identity and sexual orientation for the first time (Picture: Getty)
On how he hopes the Census results can have a positive impact going forwards, Will added: ‘Hopefully, people are more and more encouraged to be themselves and throw off the shackles of a life that perhaps you felt you should lead.’
‘We’re all unique, just be yourself and be kind to people,’ he declared.
Will wants more people to feel comfortable living as themselves (Picture: Shirlaine Forrest/WireImage)
Will has been very open with his support for his fellow LGBTQ+ people in the past, recently calling out David Beckham for signing a multi-million pound deal with Qatar ahead of the World Cup.
Qatar has a shocking record when it comes to human rights, with little protections for women, while it is also illegal to be gay.
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Launching a blistering attack on Becks back in November, Will called for the footie star to donate his fee.
‘Can something be salvaged from this odious deal? Perhaps those funds can help provide much needed safety to those living in terror whilst your posters smile down on the people of Qatar,’ he said.
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‘It really worries me.’
