Britain’s Youngest Mayor is Gay

Ian Campbell, 23, was appointed mayor of Retford in Nottinghamshire last month and became the youngest mayor in Britain. He gained prominence as a gay rights activist after he was booted from his family’s home for coming out.

According to The Guardian, Campbell, a new district councillor, was elected in May to the ceremonial position of mayor by his colleagues in the small former mining town about 150 miles north of London.

“Campbell was this month elected as a Labour district councillor for Bassetlaw, beating his Conservative rival by just 15 votes,” reports The Guardian. “Surprisingly, the Conservative-controlled council then nominated and voted Campbell to be mayor for the year.”

As The Guardian reports, “Campbell rose to prominence as a gay rights activist after being thrown out of his family home for coming out. In 2009, he was named Nottinghamshire's young person of the year for his work visiting schools and colleges nationwide, and running workshops to counter homophobic bullying. His sexuality was not an issue during his campaign to be elected a councillor, which pleased him. ‘It is an ex-mining town and people's views are anti-gay but things are changing.’”