Rosalind Mitchell

Last updated

Rosalind Mitchell
Born (1954-08-02) 2 August 1954 (age 70)
Barrow-in-Furness
NationalityBritish
Alma mater
Political party Labour (1982–2010)
Scottish National Party (2015–present)
Spouses
  • Kathryn Lees
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1976;div. 1983)​
  • Mary Kenfield
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1985;div. 1993)​

Rosalind Mitchell (born 2 August 1954) is a British film-maker, writer and former local councillor. In September 1997, while a serving member of Bristol City Council, she announced her intention to transition from male to female. [1] She was the first British politician to do so while holding elected office, according to Christine Burns of Press For Change. [2] [3]

Contents

Early life and education

She was born in 1954 as David Spry in Barrow-in-Furness. Her parents were Moira Spry (née Storey) (1924–2016), a typist, and Harry Spry (1921–1977), a shipyard draughtsman. She grew up on the Wirral Peninsula where her family moved when she was a year old, and in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire where she attended Stanborough School. After graduating in physics from the University of Liverpool she was briefly a physics and maths teacher before joining the specialist printers Harlands of Hull as a trainee analyst/programmer. In the 1980s she was a senior systems analyst with the Chase Manhattan Bank in London working on projects related to the financial Big Bang, later becoming a freelance consultant specialising in databases and expert systems. In 1992 she completed a part-time degree in literature and philosophy with the Open University.

Political activity

She joined the Labour Party in 1982. In 1990 she successfully contested the Kelfield ward on Kensington and Chelsea Council, serving until 1994 when she moved to Bristol. [4] In 1995 she stood unsuccessfully for the Stockwood ward on Bristol City Council, [5] and 1997 she fought and won the Redland seat in the city. [6]

Transition

In September 1997 she sought the support of the pressure group Press For Change with the intention of coming out publicly as Transsexual. An interview with Clare Dyer, of The Guardian was arranged and this was published on 22 September 1997. [7] [8] In the interview she revealed to the public that she was already undergoing hormone therapy and was about to start her formal transition.

She was the subject of a BBC West documentary, New Labour, New Woman, [9] produced by Linda Orr and narrated by Michael Lund. It was first shown regionally on 19 March 1998 and repeated nationally in a slightly edited form on BBC Two in the Home Ground series on 7 July 1998. [10]

Although she served successfully as Chair of the Development Control (Central Area) Committee and vice-chair of the Children's Homes Subcommittee and Lay Review Panel, she was controversial amongst her party colleagues and was denied admission to a meeting of the Bristol West constituency party Women's Section. [11] [12] [13]

Personal life

After retiring from IT she worked for four years supporting people with mental health issues through organic market gardening. Since 2015 she has lived in Scotland where she writes crime fiction, takes photographs, and in 2021 she was working for an MLitt in Film and TV Studies at the University of Glasgow.[ citation needed ]

She has been a Quaker since 1982 and is an active member of the Scottish National Party.[ citation needed ]

Related Research Articles

Lynne Mary Jones is a British politician, who was the Labour Party Member of Parliament (MP) for Birmingham Selly Oak from 1992 until 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Candy Atherton</span> British politician (1955–2017)

Candice Kathleen Atherton was a British Labour politician and journalist. After serving as a councillor in Islington, where she was mayor, she was Member of Parliament (MP) for Falmouth and Camborne from 1997 to 2005. In her later life she lived in Cornwall and was a member of Cornwall Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doug Naysmith</span> British politician (1941–2023)

John Douglas Naysmith was a British Labour Co-operative politician who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Bristol North West from 1997 until standing down at the 2010 general election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dawn Primarolo</span> British Labour politician and life peer

Dawn Primarolo, Baroness Primarolo, is a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament for Bristol South from 1987 until 2015, when she stood down. She was Minister of State for Children, Young People and Families at the Department for Children, Schools and Families from June 2009 to May 2010 and a Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons from 2010 to 2015. She was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the 2014 Birthday Honours for political service. She was nominated for a life peerage in the 2015 Dissolution Honours.

Linda Wade Gilroy is a British Labour Co-operative politician who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Plymouth Sutton from 1997 until her defeat at the 2010 general election by the Conservative Party candidate, Oliver Colvile.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siobhain McDonagh</span> British politician (born 1960)

Dame Siobhain Ann McDonagh is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Mitcham and Morden since 1997. She served as an Assistant Whip in the Labour Government, but was dismissed following comments regarding a leadership contest to replace prime minister Gordon Brown.

Carol Jean Mountford is a British Labour Party politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Colne Valley from 1997 until she retired from the House of Commons at the 2010 general election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sue Essex</span> British politician (born 1945)

Susan Linda Essex is a British politician who served in the Welsh Assembly Government as Minister for the Environment from 2000 to 2003 and Minister for Finance, Local Government and Public Services from 2003 to 2007. A member of the Labour Party, she was Leader of Cardiff City Council from 1994 until its abolition in 1996 and Assembly Member (AM) for Cardiff North from 1999 until her retirement in 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barbara Janke</span>

Barbara Lilian Janke, Baroness Janke is a British former teacher and politician. She was the Liberal Democrat leader of Bristol City Council from 2005 to 2007 and from 2009 to 2012. She was first elected councillor for Clifton ward in 1995. She became leader of the Liberal Democrat group in 1997, with a break from 2007 to 2008. In August 2014 Cllr Janke was named as one of six new Liberal Democrat working peers.

Patricia Elizabeth Rawlings, Baroness Rawlings is a Conservative Party politician and former frontbencher in the House of Lords. She was also a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from 1989 to 1994. She was Chairman of King's College London Council from 1998 to 2007, and was made a Fellow of King's College (FKC) in 2003. She was President of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations from 2002 to 2007, and President of the British Antique Dealers' Association 2005–2013. She is also a trustee of the Chevening Estate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christine Chapman</span> British politician

Christine Chapman is a Welsh Labour Co-operative politician who was a Member of the National Assembly for Wales for Cynon Valley from 1999 to 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christine Burns</span> British political activist

Christine Burns is a British political activist best known for her work with Press for Change and, more recently, as an internationally recognised health adviser. Burns was awarded an MBE in 2005 in recognition of her work representing transgender people. In 2011, she ranked 35th on The Independent on Sunday's annual Pink List of influential lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 Exeter City Council election</span> 2012 UK local government election

The 2012 Exeter City Council election took place on 3 May 2012, to elect members of Exeter City Council in Devon, England. The election was held concurrently with other local elections in England. One third of the council was up for election; the seats up for election were last contested in 2008. The Labour Party gained overall control of the council, which had been under no overall control since 2003. The Liberal Party was wiped off the council.

Tudor Evans is a British Labour Co-op politician who has been the leader of Plymouth City Council five times, including since May 2023. He has been a councillor for Ham ward since 1988 and has led the Labour group on Plymouth City Council since 1998. He has previously served as leader of the council from 1998 to 2000, 2003 to 2007, 2012 to 2016, and 2018 to 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2000 Plymouth City Council election</span> 2000 UK local government election

The 2000 Plymouth City Council election was held on 4 May 2000 to elect members of Plymouth City Council in England. This was on the same day as the other local elections. The entire council was up for election and the Conservative Party gained control of the council from the Labour Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1997 Plymouth City Council election</span> 1997 UK local government election

The 1997 Plymouth City Council election took place on 1 May 1997 to elect members of Plymouth City Council in Devon, England. This was on the same day as other local elections. The Labour Party retained control of the council, which it had held since 1991.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2000 Exeter City Council election</span> 2000 UK local government election

The 2000 Exeter City Council election took place on 4 May 2000, to elect members of Exeter City Council in England. The entire council was up for election following boundary changes, which increase the number of seats from 36 to 40. The election was held concurrently with other local elections in England. The Labour Party retained control of the council, which it had held since 1995.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2002 Exeter City Council election</span> 2002 UK local government election

The 2002 Exeter City Council election took place on 2 May 2002, to elect members of Exeter City Council in England. The election was held concurrently with other local elections in England. One third of the council was up for election and the Labour Party retained control of the council, which it had held since 1995.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2003 Exeter City Council election</span> 2003 UK local government election

The 2003 Exeter City Council election took place on 1 May 2003, to elect members of Exeter City Council in Devon, England. The election was held concurrently with other local elections in England. One third of the council was up for election and the Labour Party lost control of the council, which it had held since 1995.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carla Denyer</span> Co-leader of the Green Party of England and Wales

Carla Suzanne Denyer is a British politician who has served as co-leader of the Green Party of England and Wales alongside Adrian Ramsay since 2021 and as the Member of Parliament for Bristol Central since 2024.

References

  1. ↑ "Ex-politician David Spry recalls gender reassignment journey". BBC News.
  2. ↑ "The Rosalind Mitchell Story". UKPFC-News mailing list archive. Archived from the original on 28 January 1999.
  3. ↑ O'Connell, Zoe (13 February 2017). "Trans politicians, part 1 (1986-1999)".
  4. ↑ "London Borough Council Elections: 3rd May 1990" (PDF). London Data Store.
  5. ↑ Rawlings C and Thrasher M. "Bristol City Council Election Results 1995-2011" (PDF). Elections Centre, Plymouth University.
  6. ↑ Rawlings C & Thrasher M. "Bristol City Council Election Results 1995-2011" (PDF). Elections Centre, Plymouth University.
  7. ↑ Dyer, Clare Labour Transsexual Comes Out. The Guardian, 22 September 1997
  8. ↑ "Some Bristol Trans and Intersex History". OutStories Bristol. 3 October 2017.
  9. ↑ "New Labour: New Woman (1998)". BFI. Archived from the original on 27 April 2017.
  10. ↑ "Home Ground". 7 July 1998. p. 80 – via BBC Genome.
  11. ↑ "SEX OBJECTION TO BRISTOL WOMAN". 31 March 1998.
  12. ↑ "The year that changed my life". The Independent. 27 December 1998.
  13. ↑ "SEX-CHANGE CLLR IS THROWN OUT OF WOMEN'S MEETING". Local Government Chronicle. 19 March 1998. Retrieved 27 June 2018. Retrieved 27 June 2018
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.