Helen Clare Belcher (born 30 October 1963) is a British transgender activist and Liberal Democrat politician. She has been featured in '' The Independent on Sunday''’s Rainbow List for her work on LGBT issues, particularly those affecting the trans community. In 2010 she co-founded

Trans Media Watch Trans Media Watch (TMW) is a British charity founded in 2009 to improve media coverage of transgender and intersex issues. By improving media coverage, TMW strives to "foster social acceptance and civil recognition for trans persons", and to pr ...

, a trans-awareness charity for which she appeared on '' Newsnight''. Belcher is a Wiltshire Councillor and stood unsuccessfully for Parliament in

Chippenham Chippenham is a market town A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village ...

at the

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

and

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

general elections.

Early life

Belcher was born in Reading, where she attended a local grammar school before graduating from the University of Leeds in 1984. She worked initially as a maths teacher in Boston Spa but later moved into computer software, establishing her own software company in 2004. She is a trans woman who transitioned in 2004.

Political career and activism

In 2012, Belcher gave evidence to the

Leveson Inquiry The Leveson Inquiry was a judicial public inquiry into the culture, practices and ethics of the British press following the News International phone hacking scandal, chaired by Lord Justice Leveson, who was appointed in July 2011. A series of ...

, an investigation into the culture, practices and ethics of the press. She gave evidence again in 2015 for the Women and Equalities Select Committee's inquiry into trans equality, and in 2017 for the Joint Parliamentary Committee of Human Rights' inquiry into free speech. '' The Times'' withdrew from the 2018 Comment Awards when Belcher, a judge on the panel, asked for her name to be removed following the nomination of Janice Turner. It was claimed that Turner had contributed to a number of articles in the press that resisted the Government's proposed reform to the

Gender Recognition Act The Gender Recognition Act 2004 is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that allows people who have gender dysphoria to change their legal gender. It came into effect on 4 April 2005. Operation of the law The Gender Recognition Ac ...

, with Belcher suggesting that trans suicides had increased as a result. Belcher stood as a Liberal Democrat in the election for

Wokingham Borough Council Wokingham Borough Council is the local authority of the Borough of Wokingham in Berkshire, England. It is a unitary authority A unitary authority is a local authority responsible for all local government functions within its area or perform ...

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

but lost by 122 votes to the Conservative candidate. Later that year, she was selected as Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate to replace Duncan Hames in his former constituency of

, where she was unsuccessful in the

2017 general election This national electoral calendar for 2017 lists the national/federal elections held in 2017 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included. January *5 November ...

against the incumbent Conservative, Michelle Donelan. She was re-selected as Chippenham's Liberal Democrat candidate for the 2019 general election, and she lost again. Belcher was elected to represent the Corsham Pickwick division in the

2021 Wiltshire Council election The 2021 Wiltshire Council election took place on 6 May 2021 as part of the 2021 local elections in the United Kingdom. All 98 councillors were elected from electoral divisions which returned one councillor each by first-past-the-post voting f ...

, winning with 51% of the vote and an 11.94% majority over the second-placing Conservative Party candidate. Belcher was appointed

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(OBE) in the

2023 New Year Honours The 2023 New Year Honours are appointments by some of the 15 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebration ...

for services to the transgender community.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Belcher, Helen Living people 1963 births British political activists Liberal Democrats (UK) parliamentary candidates English LGBT politicians English transgender people Transgender women politicians Transgender rights activists Alumni of the University of Leeds Liberal Democrats (UK) councillors Members of Wiltshire Council Women councillors in England Officers of the Order of the British Empire