The teen hoping to become the first transgender MP
Lily Madigan’s appointment as women’s officer has sparked a row in the Labour party and the press
![Lily Madigan](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ddNmM5ZMeYL8L36gJvyuc3-415-80.jpg)
Lily Madigan, Labour’s first transgender women’s officer, has spoken out about the online abuse she has received since her election.
The 19-year-old political activist was elected to the position in Rochester and Strood last month, sparking a bitter row among some in the Labour party and the press.
Her recent application for the Jo Cox Women in Leadership programme, launched after the murder of the MP to encourage female participation in politics, also triggered a wave of online attacks.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
![https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516-320-80.jpg)
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
“I’m a strong person but I’m also just a teenage girl,” she tweeted yesterday. “I’m not invulnerable and it affects me. Your words have the power to hurt, to heal, to inspire, or discourage. Remember that.”
Who is she and what does she stand for?
Madigan, who was identified male at birth, came out as transgender in January last year, aged 18, and has “repeatedly had to defend her gender identity” from critics, according to Pink News.
Last year, she was forced to hire a solicitor after her school in Maidstone forced her to wear a male uniform, denied her access to female toilets, and would not refer to her as Lily. The administration later backed down and apologised.
She says this experience left her “shaken” but built her determination to raise awareness of transgender rights, particularly within politics, BBC Newsbeat reports.
“I’d love to be the first trans MP,” Madigan told the website last week. “It’s about time.”
As women’s officer, she says her priorities will be tackling the lack of funding for refuges and nurseries. She has also vowed to create a new women’s forum across the constituency so she “can get feedback from all women and we can share opinions and ideas to go forward in the best way”.
Why the controversy?
Some critics have questioned how well Madigan, who has only lived openly as a woman for two years, can represent the women in her constituency.
She was also criticised by some activists for campaigning to have another Labour women’s officer, Anne Ruzylo, removed due to her alleged transphobic views, the BBC reports. Ruzylo has since stood down but denies the accusations of transphobia.
In a recent article in The Times, a Labour member was quoted as saying the decision to open the Jo Cox mentoring scheme to all “self-defining women” was a “monstrous insult” to women in the party.
But Madigan says her detractors are missing the point of the programme. It’s about getting “a diverse group of talented women to stand for election and roles within the Labour movement and wider public life”, the activist says.
“No woman has the experience to be representative of all women,” she adds.
Madigan has received the backing of dozens of women already on the programme, who applauded the party for “supporting the principle that every woman” should get the chance to participate.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Paloma recipe: the cocktail of the summer
The Week Recommends This refreshing drink balances the fresh and fizzy taste of grapefruit soda with a subtle flavour of smooth tequila
By Rebekah Evans, The Week UK Published
-
Mushroom edibles are tripping up users
the explainer The psychedelics can sometimes have questionable components
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Prisons are simply not prepared for extreme heat
Under the radar Inmates are at severe risk of heat-related illness
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
How could J.D. Vance impact the special relationship?
Today's Big Question Trump's hawkish pick for VP said UK is the first 'truly Islamist country' with a nuclear weapon
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
The Tamils stranded on 'secretive' British island in Indian Ocean
Under the Radar Migrants 'unlawfully detained' since 2021 shipwreck on UK-controlled Diego Garcia, site of important US military base
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Britain's Labour Party wins in a landslide
Speed Read The Conservatives were unseated after 14 years of rule
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Will voter apathy and low turnout blight the election?
Today's Big Question Belief that result is 'foregone conclusion', or that politicians can't be trusted, could exacerbate long-term turnout decline
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Will Aukus pact survive a second Trump presidency?
Today's Big Question US, UK and Australia seek to expand 'game-changer' defence partnership ahead of Republican's possible return to White House
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
'Haley's decision to stay in this race could make sense'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
It's the economy, Sunak: has 'Rishession' halted Tory fightback?
Today's Big Question PM's pledge to deliver economic growth is 'in tatters' as stagnation and falling living standards threaten Tory election wipeout
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Why your local council may be going bust
The Explainer Across England, local councils are suffering from grave financial problems
By The Week UK Published