Jenny Bailey
Encyclopedia
Jenny Bailey is a British Liberal Democrat
politician who was the civic leader of Cambridge City Council
in Cambridge
, England
. Bailey served her mayor
al term from 2007-2008. Bailey became a member of the city council in 2002, when she was elected to represent the suburb of East Chesterton within Cambridge. She served the council continuously from 2002–2007, rising the ranks until she was chosen to become mayor in 2007. Prior to her appointment as full mayor, she acted as a deputy in 2006.
She was the first transgender
mayor in the United Kingdom
, with Varsity
, the eldest of Cambridge University's newspapers, suggesting she was the first in the world (this is incorrect as Georgina Beyer
became Mayor of Carterton, New Zealand
in 1995)
Bailey herself was keen to play down the significance of her appointment, saying, "I don't want to let it define me." Bailey had undergone gender transitioning
11 years prior to assuming office in the council.
Bailey was married before her transition, and fathered two sons. Bailey and her longtime companion Jennifer Liddell entered into a civil partnership on 22 September 2011. Liddle, a former councillor , is also a male-to-female transsexual; she served as Bailey's mayoress.
, where her father worked as a prison officer. She was brought up at Doncaster
prison camp, and has said that her own confusion about her gender
arose as early as aged 6 or 7. In school, Bailey joined the radio club led by her physics
teacher and decided to follow this interest in her professional working life. Aged 20, she received a sponsorship from local company Pye Telecom to take part in a three year training course. This involved placements at Lanchester Polytechnic, colleges in Coventry
and industrial training in Cambridge. Bailey worked in several jobs as a telecommunications engineer
before becoming involved in politics.
In her 20s, she had to further "suppress" her confusion over her gender as she married a biological woman and fathered two sons. However, the marriage met with an amicable demise soon after; Bailey maintained a relationship with her former wife and upon hearing that Bailey was to be sworn in as mayor, her ex-wife said that she was "incredibly proud". She began hormone replacement therapy
in 1990, aged 29. There she met her current partner, Jennifer Liddle, who also worked as a software engineer
and was also undergoing gender transitioning. Bailey completed her sex change
in 1993.
Bailey and Liddle currently share a home in Chesterton, Cambridge
with Bailey's youngest son. Bailey follows the Buddhist religion and is a vegetarian in accordance with these beliefs. On 22 September 2011 Bailey and Liddell entered into a civil partnership at Cambridge
's Shire Hall.
for the Liberal Democrats
in 2002 after being elected to represent East Chesterton. Bailey had long taken an interest in environmental issues and made them a feature of her tenure in office; promoting cycling
, waste management
, recycling
, and advocating the use of public transport
; as well as implementing several schemes to aid local residents in these activities. She served as a school governor for Chesterton Community College
for a short period.
In 2004, she was appointed as Executive Councillor for Planning and Transportation, and in this role successfully led the Council’s new parking enforcement role. She was also re-elected as councillor for East Chesterton, winning 40.7% of the vote; a margin of 2.4% over her partner, Liddle. She was promoted to deputy mayor in 2006, acting as Ceremonial Bailiff to the mayor at select civic ceremonial events.
At Cambridge City Council's annual meeting on the 24 May 2007, Bailey was appointed mayor for the municipal year of 2007-2008, thus becoming the 801st first citizen of Cambridge
. Her job as mayor entailed attending approximately 500 social engagements. Bailey chose two charities, Press Relief and the Cambridge Museum of Technology
, to be the primary benefactors of the fundraising done throughout her tenure. Bailey also vowed to give recognition to the unsung heroes of the city.
She was succeeded by her deputy mayor, Mike Dixon, in 2008.
Despite it being well known among councillors for several years, Bailey's appointment garnered significant media coverage, with Fox News reporting the story in the USA. Bailey, however, said that she did not want the issue to eclipse being mayor.
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
politician who was the civic leader of Cambridge City Council
Cambridge City Council, England
Cambridge City Council is a district council in the county of Cambridgeshire, based in the city of Cambridge.-Activities:The council provides various facilities and services within the city...
in Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Bailey served her mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
al term from 2007-2008. Bailey became a member of the city council in 2002, when she was elected to represent the suburb of East Chesterton within Cambridge. She served the council continuously from 2002–2007, rising the ranks until she was chosen to become mayor in 2007. Prior to her appointment as full mayor, she acted as a deputy in 2006.
She was the first transgender
Transgender
Transgender is a general term applied to a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups involving tendencies to vary from culturally conventional gender roles....
mayor in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, with Varsity
Varsity (Cambridge)
Varsity is the oldest of Cambridge University's main student newspapers. It has been published continuously since 1947, and is one of only three fully independent student newspapers in the UK. It appears every Friday around Cambridge...
, the eldest of Cambridge University's newspapers, suggesting she was the first in the world (this is incorrect as Georgina Beyer
Georgina Beyer
Georgina Beyer was the world's first openly transsexual mayor, as well as the world's first openly transsexual Member of Parliament, and from 27 November 1999 until 14 February 2007 was an MP for the Labour Party in New Zealand.-Early life:Georgina Bertrand was born and assigned male at birth, and...
became Mayor of Carterton, New Zealand
Carterton, New Zealand
Carterton is a small town in the Wellington Region of New Zealand and the seat of the Carterton District. It lies in a farming area of the Wairarapa in New Zealand's North Island. It is located southwest of Masterton and northeast of Wellington...
in 1995)
Bailey herself was keen to play down the significance of her appointment, saying, "I don't want to let it define me." Bailey had undergone gender transitioning
Transitioning (transgender)
Transitioning is the process of changing one's gender presentation to accord with one's internal sense of one's gender - the idea of what it means to be a man or woman...
11 years prior to assuming office in the council.
Bailey was married before her transition, and fathered two sons. Bailey and her longtime companion Jennifer Liddell entered into a civil partnership on 22 September 2011. Liddle, a former councillor , is also a male-to-female transsexual; she served as Bailey's mayoress.
Personal life
Bailey was born in Doncaster PrisonDoncaster (HM Prison)
HM Prison Doncaster, is a Category B men's private prison, located in the Marshgate area of Doncaster in South Yorkshire, England. The prison is operated by the Serco Group.-History:Doncaster Prison was opened in 1994...
, where her father worked as a prison officer. She was brought up at Doncaster
Doncaster
Doncaster is a town in South Yorkshire, England, and the principal settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster. The town is about from Sheffield and is popularly referred to as "Donny"...
prison camp, and has said that her own confusion about her gender
Gender
Gender is a range of characteristics used to distinguish between males and females, particularly in the cases of men and women and the masculine and feminine attributes assigned to them. Depending on the context, the discriminating characteristics vary from sex to social role to gender identity...
arose as early as aged 6 or 7. In school, Bailey joined the radio club led by her physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
teacher and decided to follow this interest in her professional working life. Aged 20, she received a sponsorship from local company Pye Telecom to take part in a three year training course. This involved placements at Lanchester Polytechnic, colleges in Coventry
Coventry
Coventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...
and industrial training in Cambridge. Bailey worked in several jobs as a telecommunications engineer
Engineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
before becoming involved in politics.
In her 20s, she had to further "suppress" her confusion over her gender as she married a biological woman and fathered two sons. However, the marriage met with an amicable demise soon after; Bailey maintained a relationship with her former wife and upon hearing that Bailey was to be sworn in as mayor, her ex-wife said that she was "incredibly proud". She began hormone replacement therapy
Hormone replacement therapy (male-to-female)
Hormone replacement therapy for transgender and transsexual people changes the balance of sex hormones in their bodies. Some intersex people also receive HRT, either starting in childhood to confirm the sex to which they were assigned, or later, if this assignment has proven to be incorrect...
in 1990, aged 29. There she met her current partner, Jennifer Liddle, who also worked as a software engineer
Software engineer
A software engineer is an engineer who applies the principles of software engineering to the design, development, testing, and evaluation of the software and systems that make computers or anything containing software, such as computer chips, work.- Overview :...
and was also undergoing gender transitioning. Bailey completed her sex change
Sex reassignment surgery
Sex reassignment surgery is a term for the surgical procedures by which a person's physical appearance and function of their existing sexual characteristics are altered to resemble...
in 1993.
Bailey and Liddle currently share a home in Chesterton, Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
with Bailey's youngest son. Bailey follows the Buddhist religion and is a vegetarian in accordance with these beliefs. On 22 September 2011 Bailey and Liddell entered into a civil partnership at Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
's Shire Hall.
Political activity
Bailey made the decision to enter politics in the early 2000s, later saying that her ambition to make a contribution to local life was the biggest incentive behind this career choice. She became a councillorCouncillor
A councillor or councilor is a member of a local government council, such as a city council.Often in the United States, the title is councilman or councilwoman.-United Kingdom:...
for the Liberal Democrats
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
in 2002 after being elected to represent East Chesterton. Bailey had long taken an interest in environmental issues and made them a feature of her tenure in office; promoting cycling
Cycling
Cycling, also called bicycling or biking, is the use of bicycles for transport, recreation, or for sport. Persons engaged in cycling are cyclists or bicyclists...
, waste management
Waste management
Waste management is the collection, transport, processing or disposal,managing and monitoring of waste materials. The term usually relates to materials produced by human activity, and the process is generally undertaken to reduce their effect on health, the environment or aesthetics...
, recycling
Recycling
Recycling is processing used materials into new products to prevent waste of potentially useful materials, reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, reduce energy usage, reduce air pollution and water pollution by reducing the need for "conventional" waste disposal, and lower greenhouse...
, and advocating the use of public transport
Public transport
Public transport is a shared passenger transportation service which is available for use by the general public, as distinct from modes such as taxicab, car pooling or hired buses which are not shared by strangers without private arrangement.Public transport modes include buses, trolleybuses, trams...
; as well as implementing several schemes to aid local residents in these activities. She served as a school governor for Chesterton Community College
Chesterton Community College
Chesterton Community College is a secondary school serving students ranging in age from 11 to 16. It is an LEA maintained college with a thousand pupils and 120 staff...
for a short period.
In 2004, she was appointed as Executive Councillor for Planning and Transportation, and in this role successfully led the Council’s new parking enforcement role. She was also re-elected as councillor for East Chesterton, winning 40.7% of the vote; a margin of 2.4% over her partner, Liddle. She was promoted to deputy mayor in 2006, acting as Ceremonial Bailiff to the mayor at select civic ceremonial events.
At Cambridge City Council's annual meeting on the 24 May 2007, Bailey was appointed mayor for the municipal year of 2007-2008, thus becoming the 801st first citizen of Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
. Her job as mayor entailed attending approximately 500 social engagements. Bailey chose two charities, Press Relief and the Cambridge Museum of Technology
Cambridge Museum of Technology
The Cambridge Museum of Technology is an industrial heritage museum situated in Cambridge, UK. The original building, a Scheduled Ancient Monument,housed a sewage pumping station and was built in 1894...
, to be the primary benefactors of the fundraising done throughout her tenure. Bailey also vowed to give recognition to the unsung heroes of the city.
She was succeeded by her deputy mayor, Mike Dixon, in 2008.
Despite it being well known among councillors for several years, Bailey's appointment garnered significant media coverage, with Fox News reporting the story in the USA. Bailey, however, said that she did not want the issue to eclipse being mayor.
External links
- Official biography Cambridge City Council