'They need to be challenged', says councillor standing up to homophobic abuse

An SNP councillor who received a barrage of homophobic abuse after she announced her new role online has vowed to keep providing "vocal support" for the LGBT community.

Fay Sinclair - who represents Galashiels and District on Scottish Borders Council (SBC) - had celebrated her appointment as the council's equalities champion in a social media post last week.

It prompted many supportive comments - but others told her she was "disgusting" and "perverted" and that being LGBT was a "vile sickness".

The councillor told the BBC she had tried to engage with the reaction rather than "shutting down comments" to show that "even though there's some hostility, actually there's far more support out there".

The council's equalities champion is responsible for making sure voices of groups with protected characteristics are heard, shaping policies, and promoting equality across the region.

In her Facebook post, Sinclair said one of her first tasks had been to ensure that the rainbow flag went up at council headquarters in Newtown St Boswells to mark the start of LGBT+ history month.

She said that at a time of "increased hostility towards minority groups" it was "more important than ever to be loud and proud in our support of human rights, including the rights of LGBT+ people".

Speaking to BBC News, she said: "I put a post on Facebook letting people know that I've been made equalities champion and sharing a picture of the rainbow flag flying at council headquarters," she said.

"This is done every year to mark LGBT+ history month, which is in February.

"And, very quickly, comments started being posted, a lot of quite nasty comments, really homophobic things, a lot of quite personal attacks as well."

However, she said she had decided not to shut down the comments.

"I felt it best to engage with this to try and demonstrate that there are people out there that will defend the LGBT+ community, that there are a lot of allies," she said.

"There is a lot of support out there and, even though there's some hostility, actually there's far more support out there."

She added that it would not put her off posting on social media.

"I think some of the things being said about this community are quite disturbing and they need to be challenged," she said.

"I mean, I've been told this week that I'm disgusting and perverted, satanic, that being LGBT is a fetish and I think the most nasty was describing it as a vile sickness that is plaguing the western world like a cancer."

Sinclair said she had been encouraged by the response of many people to such comments which had shown "far more positivity than negativity".

She added that the people who had made the "nasty comments" were not local.

The councillor said she had not reported the abuse as it had not been "personally threatening" but she would keep an eye on it.

She said she felt it was important to "share different views" without that extending into "attacking and abuse".

"This is not just a name on a screen, there are real people behind this," she said.

"I am a member of the LGBT community.

"So when you throw these sorts of insults at me, yes, it's going to hurt, but it's not going to put me off doing my job and standing up for this community."