Plaque unveiled for pioneering gay politician

Sam Green is said to be the first openly gay politician to be elected in the UK

A blue plaque has been unveiled celebrating the life and legacy of a councillor believed to be the first openly gay politician to be elected in the UK.

Councillor Sam Green was a psychiatric nurse who made history when he was elected to the now-abolished Durham City Council for the Crossgate ward as a Liberal councillor in 1972.

Ed Davey, leader of the Liberal Democrats, unveiled the plaque outside a home on The Avenue where Green, who died in 1999, had lived.

The City of Durham Parish Council, which installed the plaque, said Green was a "much-loved" figure in the area and a "one-off".

The plaque described Sam Green as a champion of diversity in public life

Green was 31 when he was elected, ousting an 18-year incumbent councillor.

The Gay Liberation Front member had twice previously failed to be elected.

Richard Huzzey, professor of modern history at Durham University, said Green lived at a time when there was a lot of prejudice and he was sometimes "assaulted in the street because of his sexuality".

"He acted very bravely being open with voters about it and he managed to persuade them that he was the right councillor for them."

A crowd gathered at the former home of Sam Green for the unveiling ceremony

The parish council said Mr Green was an active member of the Campaign for Homosexual Equality.

It said: "Sam's election to the city council clearly broke a glass ceiling at a time when societal views on homosexuality were not as they are today.

"Sam is described by those who knew him in Durham as a one-off.

"Although a much-loved figure in Durham City, he moved away in about 1980 and very little information can be found about him from this time."

Councillor Susan Walker said she hoped "brave" Green's story would become more widely known

Parish councillor Susan Walker said she hoped the plaque would inspire Mr Green's story to be told more widely.

She said: "His story is such an important part of Durham's history but it isn't that well known.

"By commissioning the plaque and having it out here helps us tell the story, it's so important for diversity - he was such a brave man."