Owen J. Hurcum is not only the youngest mayor in the history of Wales but also the first openly non-binary mayor in the world.
At just 23 years old Owen, who identifies as a non-binary person, was unanimously voted in to lead Bangor City Council. After his election he said, “When I came out two years ago, I was worried that my community would ostracize me or worse. Today my community has elected me mayor of our great city.”
He also spoke of the importance that places of power and public places are becoming more and more occupied by LGBTIQ people: “It's about finding all the people who are ready and comfortable to enter public life being LGBT+, and as more and more people do that we will get the system to change. I certainly plan to start securing better protections and rights in the law, especially for trans and non-binary people.”
