Park was always political, but only entered politics in 2019 after transitioning at 40-years-old
Tanya Park, a Lib Dem councillor for Eastleigh North in Hampshire, is the first trans person many of her constituents have ever met.
“They will have preconceived ideas about what being trans is depending on what news they watch and who they follow on social media,” she says. “But then they meet me, and they see that I’m just a normal human being with my own foibles, my own passions, and my own faults.”
Park knew she was trans from a young age, but faced challenges growing up in a small village in Suffolk without the vocabulary or societal support to understand her feelings. “I spent most of my 20s running away from the whole situation,” she says, reflecting on the time she spent moving around and working dead-end jobs to escape her identity. At one point, she even ended up on the streets.
These experiences showed her the need for a support system for the most vulnerable. “I was a trustee for a local homelessness charity that had helped me when I was homeless,” she says proudly.
The turning point came after the death of her wife. Forced to look inward while tackling her emotions, she embraced her true identity and transitioned at 40.
Park’s 2021 campaign to be elected as a local councillor did not focus on her gender identity, but instead on her role as a representative of her community. She had been a volunteer with Samaritans, during which she talked people out of ending their lives.
“They elected me to represent them, not necessarily to shout about who I am,” she says. “But people do know about it, and it’s not a secret,” she adds.
Although Park has experienced minor instances of transphobia on social media, her community and party have been overwhelmingly supportive. Her reelection in the Eastleigh local election on 2 May only proves that her constituents stand behind her as a councillor.
Frustration as a fervent Remainer during the 2019 Brexit debates propelled Park from political activism into formal politics. She joined the Liberal Democrats to channel her energy into tangible change. “I got fed up of shouting at the television,” she says with a laugh.
Park is always looking for ways to make the lives of others better, be it in politics or her varied charity work. “One of my favourite things I do as a councillor is being able to solve residents’ problems,” she says. “They will contact me and say X is not happening and I will go at it,” she adds.
Park encourages people from marginalised groups to enter politics. “A real problem with local government is that it is very male, pale and stale,” she says. “The more representation we get – be that people of colour, disabled people, women, LGBT – then the better.”
She suggests they go to their local parties and get involved by canvassing, putting leaflets through doors, and building up experience on the ground – just how she started.
“Most local parties are finding it really hard to find candidates because nobody wants to step up and do these things anymore because of the amount of vitriol and hate that gets talked about on social media,” she explains. “So they will be happy to help you if you want to stand for election,” she adds.
Park believes that the value of local government should not be overlooked. She says, “Everybody thinks that being an MP wields the greatest political power, but locally, you can really effect change.”
Feature Image: Tanya Park on her lunch break from Humanists UK. London, 2024. Photo Credit: Heleena Panicker.