A broadcaster has made history by becoming the first trans Women of the Year nominee, The London Economic can reveal.
India Willoughby, 58, was nominated for a coveted accolade for her campaign work in July by a panel of all-cis women.
Willoughby, the world’s first transgender national newsreader, described the news as “a complete shock, but delight” and a “rare” example that “society doesn’t view trans people as a problem”.
“There’s so little positivity around trans people these days that you get conditioned to only expect bad news, that society sees you as a problem, so I’m taking this as a rare public demonstration that this isn’t the case,” she said.
“This nomination definitely isn’t just for me, it’s for every trans and gender diverse person in Britain, who has been made the target of the most disgusting, heavy-artillery propaganda campaign in British history.
Willoughby will join more than 400 women at the Royal Lancaster on 16th October for an awards ceremony and lunch to celebrate inspirational women across the country.
A not-for-profit organisation, Women of the Year aims to recognise, celebrate and advance the achievements of women throughout the UK and the world.
The TV personality had been forced to keep the nomination secret until now following a death threat that was hand-delivered to her house by the neo-Nazi group National Action in May.
The Metropolitan Police said at the time it was “taking this matter seriously” and launched an investigation led by its Counter Terrorism Command.
“I never thought I would have neo-Nazis hunting me just because I’m a woman, but here we are. The letter sent repeated all the usual ‘gender critical’ tropes, and said I would be executed in public,” she said.
“Suck it up, haters!”
Willoughby dedicated her nomination to “every single trans or gender diverse person in Britain who has been made miserable by the Tories”.
It follows her recent claims that Rishi Sunak had sanctioned the persecution of trans people during a more than 7,000-word long speech delivered to the Tory Party conference.
During his address, the prime minister alleged that the public had been “bullied” into believing that “people can be any sex they want to be” in a shift to the right wing of his party.
Research reveals the UK is heading backwards on transgender rights in a sign that anti-trans hatred has already seeped into the government’s agenda, pushing us below countries across Europe and Asia.
A report published in May by the United Nations’ Independent Expert on sexual orientation and gender identity, Victor Madrigal-Borloz, found abusive rhetoric by politicians and the media had fostered hate speech against LGBT people.
For Willoughby, who also paid tribute to murdered trans teenager Brianna Ghey, this historic moment offers hope to a community under attack from the gender critical movement.
“Suck it up, haters! The gender critical’s are the most odious group on social media as anyone who’s encountered them will testify. They will be livid at this news,” she told The London Economic.
“The vast majority of women, feminists and lesbians are sick and tired now of bigots hiding behind the phrase ‘women’s rights’, which they use as a Trojan Horse for their real intent – the total social and legal elimination of trans people.
“Things will definitely get better for the community. Every minority in history comes through eventually. It’s just a shame we have to once again go through a period of hate, but that’s a direct consequences of the Tories’ very deliberate policies.”
Related: Suella Braverman ‘unfit for office’ after trans remarks – Willoughby