I think Manchester is a liberal, accepting place

WHETHER Northwood she likes it or not, Chris is a trailblazer

- ETHAN DAVIES

 

On May 5, she became Manchester's first trans councillor, and now represents the Ancoats and Beswick ward.

From what had been a neck-and-neck race between the Lib Dems and Labour, Coun Northwood pulled away and secured her seat by 335 votes.

But the road to the Town Hall has not been smooth for the 35-year-old. There's been a measure of strife for the new councillor.

Despite that turmoil, one thing has been a constant: Mancs have accepted her for who she is.

"One of my favourite' moments is when I was canvassing someone. He was telling me 'you're all a load of liars, and this and that," she joked during an interview with the M.E.N.

"I was trying to dislodge myself from the conversation because there was no way of making progress. If you're on the door for too long, someone will come and check on Chris celebrates you (while we canvass). So (councillor) Alan Good came along and asked if everything was alright. And he replied, 'I'm just telling her, you're all a bunch of s****s!, and I thought, well he gendered me correctly, so that's good. You have to laugh."

That established something of a pattern for Coun Northwood, who is originally from Doncaster and moved to Manchester more than a decade ago to take a job at the BBC. She has since left that role, and now spends her weeks working parttime, and carrying out her council duties.