Life

Dylan Tippetts makes history as Plymouth’s first openly trans councillor

By Conor Clark

6th May 2022

Dylan Tippetts was elected to the Plymouth City Council in the 5 May election, making history as the first trans person to hold the position.

“I’m in complete shock – part of me really wasn’t expecting to win in this seat tonight and I didn’t know whether we’d quite done enough,” the 21-year-old told ITV News.

“I didn’t want to take any of the work we’d done for granted. It’s a real pleasure to have won. For me it’s a massive honour.”

The politician, who is also Labour’s first councillor in Plymouth’s Compton Ward, also commented on the way trans people are “vilified” in the media.

He added: “I know at the moment trans people are being vilified by the media… and so to actually be a voice at the table for trans people is something I’m not going to take for granted.

“There’s nothing to be scared of about being trans – we’re just normal human beings with the same ambitions and dreams as everyone else and it’s important that other people see that.”

Luke Pollard, the Labour MP for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport, tweeted his support for Tippetts after the election results were confirmed.

“So proud of @Dylan4Compton becoming the first ever Labour councillor for Compton Ward and Plymouth’s first ever trans councillor too,” he wrote on Twitter. “As our city’s first ever openly gay MP I am simply over the moon. Now the hard work really begins.”

Tippetts responded by thanking the MP for his “amazing” amount of support during the campaign and said he “couldn’t have done this without him!”

Discussing the political climate in Plymouth and what he learned during the election campaign, the councillor said: “One big thing that came up was the cost of living crisis. A lot of people didn’t know how they were going to pay their next energy bill and they know that Plymouth Labour are on their side.

“I think I’m still in shock and it hasn’t quite hit me yet but I imagine tomorrow is going to be an emotional rollercoaster of a day. I needed role models when I was 16 and to think I could be that for just one person is the most amazing feeling in the world. No young person deserves to be scared of who they are and I hope I can show them that there’s nothing to fear about being trans.”