MEP Nikki Sinclaire 'overwhelmed' by support as UK’s first 'sex-change parliamentarian'
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.MEP Nikki Sinclaire says she is “overwhelmed” by the volume of support she received after revealing herself as Britain’s first “sex-change parliamentarian” after undergoing gender reassignment surgery more than two decades ago.
Ms Sinclaire, 45, the MEP for the West Midlands as part of the single-issue We Demand A Referendum Now party, said in a series of tweets on Sunday that she had received support “from across the political spectrum”.
In her new autobiography Never Give Up, released on November 25, Ms Sinclaire writes for the first time about her “great secret” of growing up as a boy. Until now it was only “close friends and family” were aware of her past, which “tormented” her early years .
The foreword reads: “As the first ‘sex change’ parliamentarian in Britain, Nikki Sinclaire has made history. But she is likely to be far happier, in the future, being known less as a statistic than for her conviction politics.”
In an interview with The Sun on Sunday Ms Sinclaire said she lived as a man until she was 23, before having her gender reassignment surgery on the NHS. “I don’t want my past to overshadow it and believe my constituents will continue to support me,” she said.
In the book she writes about the rocky start to her career as an MEP. She was elected in 2009 as part of Ukip, but was expelled at the beginning of 2010 for refusing to sit with the eurosceptic Europe of Freedom and Democracy (EFD), Ukip’s allies, because the EFP contained “extreme elements”, including people with “openly homophobic opinions”.
West Midlands Police arrested her in February last year as part of a probe into allowances and expenses but she denies the allegations. She remains on bail.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments