Labour's Dylan Tippetts becomes Plymouth City Council's first trans councillor after local elections
Watch Dylan Tippett's reaction on becoming Plymouth's first open transgender councillor
Plymouth City Council's first openly transgender councillor has described it as a "massive honour" to represent people in the city.
Labour's Dylan Tippetts has been elected to represent Compton Ward following the May 5 election.
Speaking after his victory, the 21-year-old told ITV News: "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.
"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.
"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."
Labour MP Luke Pollard congratulated Mr Tippetts on becoming Compton's first ever Labour councillor.
He said: "Dylan is now Plymouth's first ever trans councillor and the ward's first ever Labour councillor. What an achievement!"
It comes after the city also elected its first ever Green councillor, with Ian Posyer taking the Plympton Chaddlewood seat from the Conservative Party.
Following yesterday's election, Plymouth City Council remains a ‘hung council’ after a dramatic and historic night which saw neither of the two main parties were able to win an overall majority.
Regarding the political climate in the city, Mr Tippetts 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."
In the South West, the first opening transgender person was Rosalind Mitch.
The Labour Party's first openly transgender councillor was elected in 2016. Anwen Muston won the East Park in Wolverhampton in that year's local election.
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