Helen Belcher

Helen Belcher (born 30 October 1963) is a British 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.[1][2] In 2010 she co-founded Trans Media Watch,[3] a trans-awareness charity for which she appeared on Newsnight.[4] Belcher unsuccessfully contested the Conservative seat in Chippenham during the 2017 general election, losing to the incumbent Michelle Donelan.[5]

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.[6]

Political career and activism

In 2012, Belcher gave evidence to the Leveson Inquiry, an investigation into the culture, practices and ethics of the press.[7] She gave evidence again in 2015 for the Women and Equalities Select Committee’s inquiry into trans equality,[8] and in 2017 for the Joint Parliamentary Committee of Human Rights’ inquiry into free speech.[9]

The Times withdrew from the 2018 Comments 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, with Belcher suggesting that trans suicides had increased as a result.[10][11]

Belcher ran as a Liberal Democrat in the local election for Wokingham Borough Council in 2016 but lost by 122 votes to the Conservative candidate.[12] Later that year she was selected to replace Duncan Hames in his former seat of Chippenham, where she again lost to her Conservative opponent in the 2017 general election.[5]

Belcher was re-selected as Chippenham's Liberal Democrat candidate for the 2019 general election, and she lost again.[13][14]

References
  1. "The Independent on Sunday's Pink List 2013". The Independent. 2013-10-13. Retrieved 2019-12-10.
  2. "Rainbow List 2015: 1 to 101". The Independent. 2015-11-15. Retrieved 2019-12-10.
  3. Belcher, Helen (20 September 2013). "Greater London Authority 2013: How Trans People are Represented in the Media" (PDF). Mayor of London | London Assembly. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
  4. Newsnight, B. B. C. (October 18, 2018). ""It's very costly… it's an opaque process, it's not accountable to anybody and there's no right to appeal." Helen Belcher from Trans Media Watch explains what's wrong with the current gender recognition process #newsnight |@HelenCBelcherpic.twitter.com/lOKLKLhKgj".
  5. "Chippenham - 2017 Election Results". Elections Online. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
  6. "Helen Belcher". Democracy Club CVs. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
  7. "View Section: Ms Helen Belcher ::Leveson Inquiry". SayIt. Retrieved 2019-12-10.
  8. "First evidence session of transgender equality inquiry". parliament.uk. 2015-09-07. Retrieved 2019-12-10.
  9. "Freedom of Speech - Joint Committee on Human Rights - House of Commons". publications.parliament.uk. Retrieved 2019-12-10.
  10. Tobitt, Charlotte (2018-10-22). "Times withdraws from comment awards over treatment of columnists as it defends 'diversity of opinion'". Press Gazette. Retrieved 2019-12-10.
  11. d'Ancona, Matthew (2018-10-22). "The Comment Awards 2018 show that feelings matter more than facts". British GQ. Retrieved 2019-12-10.
  12. "Results of elections on Thursday 5 May 2016" (PDF). Wokingham Borough Council. 2016-05-07.
  13. "Helen Belcher re-selected by Chippenham Lib Dems". Liberal Democrats in Wiltshire. 2018-04-13. Retrieved 2019-12-10.
  14. Gussin, Tony (2019-02-25). "Leading LGBT activist speaks at Petroc Barnstaple". North Devon Gazette. Retrieved 2019-12-10.
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