THE Glasgow winner of one of the world's most prestigious prizes for writing has revealed the horrific homophobic abuse he received growing up in Sighthill.

Booker Prize winner Douglas Stuart, who impressed judges with his debut novel 'Shuggie Bain' shared the personal story with Past Imperfect podcast host, Rachel Alice yesterday. 

Glasgow Times:

The award winning author, who was born and raised in the North of the city, told the podcast how the bullying started from a young age. 

READ MORE: Shuggie Bain: Award-winning Douglas Stuart never saw himself as writer

He said: "I was in Primary 2 at school and it was one of those wet afternoons. We were all playing in the classroom. We were having a great time, I don't remember exactly what we were doing, but it's possible I was playing with the girls when the boys were playing with the boys.

"I just remember about six boys saying 'Why are you like that? What's wrong with you? You're no' right.

"Really quickly at such such a young age, it turned into the 'P' word and the epithet we know that I don't love to say. I was told that on the same day and then that just sticks."

As he got older, the bullying towards Stuart intensified with children excluding him, namecalling and at times, physical abuse.

He said: "They saw me as a vessel for their hate and all of the things they felt terrible about inside themselves."

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Stuart revealed as a teenager the violence towards him escalated. One Saturday afternoon, the writer and fashion designer was set upon by a gang of 12 boys. 

He added: "They had just seen me coming down the road. We talk about it as gaydar between gay people but there is a sort of singular way you carry yourself that people see and they want to attack that."

"I was attacked very violently. It was an old Glaswegian housewife who was driving by and thought the boys were hitting a dog. She stopped her car and got out and chased these boys away and at the centre of it was me."

Stuart also professed his love of the city in yesterday's podcast. He said: "I always feel an attachment to my roots. No matter where i am in the world, I always feel like that working class boy from Glasgow."

Readers can listen to the full episode here.