Lib Dem election candidate is proud to be ‘a mum, a woman and intersex’

The UK general election was nothing if not a watershed moment for LGBTQ+ representation in modern politics.

The snap election gave us one of the largest lists of out LGBTQ+ political candidates in history. From queer heavyweights to trans and non-binary people looking to secure a place in the House of Commons for the first time, the field was full of representation across the major parties and beyond.

But Liberal Democrat councillor Holly Greenberry-Pullen stood out as the only out intersex candidate.

“I’ve been asked about my background and I’ve been very direct and very honest about it,” she tells PinkNews. “There’s no shame… it’s not something you promote on the campaign leaflet, but neither do you hide yourself under a bushel.”

Running in Plymouth Sutton and Devonport, in south west England, Greenberry-Pullen polled 2,441 votes, 5.8 per cent of the share and an increase from the 2019 election. But it wasn’t enough and the seat was easily won by Labour’s Luke Pollard.

Regardless, she believes the result was still a commendable one considering the “uphill battle” that her campaign faced.

“It wasn’t a target seat,” she says. “It was the seat that we didn’t have. We didn’t have significant funding but there was a lot of passion.

“It was actually probably one of the toughest decisions I’ve had to make in a long, long time. To stand in a [constituency] that definitely wasn’t a target with only five or six weeks to start working. I worked incredibly hard and we got leaflets out. We did over half-a-dozen hustings and they were phenomenal.

“It was an absolute, genuine privilege to be able to articulate our Lib Dem manifesto. And yes, I was very public [in my identity] where it was appropriate.”

‘It was really humbling, but very important’

Greenberry-Pullen is no stranger to making history as an intersex person. The political activist is already well-established as the co-founder of Intersex UK – a non-governmental Human Rights group fighting for intersex children’s bodily autonomy – and, in 2014, became the first Intersex person to address the United Nations Human Rights Council.

“It was really humbling but a very important opportunity,” she says. “So, that’s what I did. At the same time, we were building Intersex UK, building an online support group, and we were going from strength to strength.”

Despite her list of accreditations in fighting for Intersex rights, Greenberry-Pullen says her decision to run as a Lib Dem candidate was driven by her desire to represent her local community.

While her political beliefs involve the autonomy and equity of intersex people, she keeps her charity and political work separate.

Having tried her hand at winning a seat in the past, Greenberry-Pullen was still surprised by the level of representation on display in general election.

“What it shows is that anyone who’s lived through adversity and challenges in life, and come through that professionally and healthily, is someone who can stand and represent others and fight for others.”

She is particularly pleased with the way in which the Lib Dems allowed trans and non-binary candidates to take a stand both as members of the LGBTQ+ community and as political figures.

“The Lib Dems recognised that we have to have representation in government, but you also have to be qualified to do the job,” she says. “It’s not just about being a trans person or an intersex person or someone who’s gay or pansexual or whatever, it is about recognising that people who come from different communities can be role models for members of the public.

“We’re living in a period where there are concerns not just in this country but internationally of right-wing [influence] and a lot of harsh right-wing representation with ReformUK, and we’re challenging that. We’re showing that we’re not going to bow down to this right-wing governance.”

Part of that mission is to work with those who did win seats to ensure that equality is still on the table.

“It’s essential we collaborate and that we hold [MPs] to account. It’s important we keep the pressure on Labour to deliver the changes we need to see, and you can only do that by ensuring we are working in a cross-party capacity in certain areas.

“So, for example, in areas around health and social care, I would be pushing very hard for Labour to continue with our policies and try to embed some of [those] into the work they do.”

The 2024 Lib Dem manifesto included a pledge to recognise non-binary people on legal documents, and ban so-called conversion therapy, as well as other measures dedicated to improving LGBTQ+ rights.

‘We do not want to be a pawn in the anti-trans movement’

Greenberry-Pullen reiterated that the UK is still far behind in its support for intersex people, adding that, in her charity work specifically, she continues to fight for the rights of intersex people’s bodily autonomy.

“We need more education,” she says. “We’ve got no funding for intersex organisations that are led by intersex people. We have to make changes, we have to start recognising that you can’t just erase people because you’re personally not comfortable with it.

“We have to support education and schooling, we have to support people’s right to express their gender and not be forced into a gender that society is more comfortable with. There’s no logic to it – it’s illogical.”

One of the key parts of securing that equality is working together with other parts of the LGBTQ+ community to fight for the same rights, Greenberry-Pullen adds.

“The intersex movement does not want to be used as a pawn in the anti-trans movement, which is something that has happened. We are not pawns to be used in that fight.”

Above all, her one wish is for intersex people to be able to live their lives in peace.

“I’m a mum, I’m a woman. I’m an intersex-bodied woman,” she says. “I’m a mum of two kids and they are amazing. They accept me as their parent, as a mum, and we live a good life.

“It’s a phenomenal privilege to be accepted by the Lib Dems without any question and to have [run] for parliament. Above all else, I did it for the party.”