Creating history, Marie Cau has been elected as the first transgender mayor in France.
Unanimously chosen by the council of Tilloy-lez-Marchiennes in northeastern France on Saturday, May 23, the business manager, with a background in agriculture and sustainability, achieved this milestone.
Upon winning the election, Ms. Cau emphasized her focus on municipal politics, stating that she is “not an activist.”
Running on a platform of ecological sustainability and local economic development, the 55-year-old mayor-elect expressed, “People didn’t vote for me because I was or wasn’t transgender. They voted for a program and for values. The social bond has disappeared. The inhabitants wanted change.”
France’s gender equality minister, Marlène Schiappa, welcomed Cau’s election, tweeting, “Trans visibility, and the fight against transphobia, also depends on exercising political and public responsibilities. Congratulations Marie Cau!”