Marie Cau (Marie Cau, première maire transgenre de France: "Je reçois des félicitations de toute la planète", 26 May 2020, BFMTV born 1965 ) is a French engineer, former mayor of Tilloy-lez-Marchiennes, and minor candidate for President of France.
Political career
Cau was elected mayor of Tilloy-lez-Marchiennes on March 15, 2020, with the entire municipal council also being members of her electoral list, and was inaugurated in May of that year following a long delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic, becoming the first known openly transgender mayor in France.France's first transgender mayor vows to wake up village, 25 May 2020, France 24Nord : Marie Cau, première personne transgenre élue maire en France, 23 May 2020, Le Parisien She garnered international media coverage and congratulations from French gender equality minister Marlene Schiappa, SOS Homophobie co-president Veronique Godet, and Giovanna Rincon, head of the transgender rights group Acceptess-T.
Cau ran on a platform of developing social and environmental policies, particularly sustainable agriculture.Tricia Tisak, 18 Things That Happened for the First Time in 2020, 11 December 2020, in The New York Times As mayor, she secured repairs to the section of the historical Paris-Roubaix route (now part of the RD81) which crosses the village,Jean-Claude Lukaszewski, Tilloy-lez-Marchiennes: un peu plus de 400m de pavés empruntés par le Paris-Roubaix réhabilités, 3 July 2021, La Voix du Nord and other infrastructure improvements.Florian Bardou, Marie Cau, un autre genre de maire, October 11, 2022, Libération
Cau stated she would run for President of France in 2022.Arnaud Déthée, Marie Cau, la première maire transgenre de France, veut être candidate à l’élection présidentielle, 19 March 2021, La Voix du Nord She stepped down as mayor of Tilloy-lez-Marchiennes in January 2025.Marie Cau, première maire transgenre de France, démissionne, Le Monde, 15 January 2025
Education and personal life Cau was born in RoubaixPatrick Roger, Marie Cau, première maire transgenre : Je suis devenue le symbole d’une normalité possible, 7 June 2020, Le Monde, accessed 8 June 2020. and at the time of her election had lived in Tilloy-lez-Marchiennes for 20 years. Cau says she was always drawn to feminine things, and put on her mother's lipstick when she was two, but was pressured by her mother and siblings not to do such things and to be a boy."Sur France 2, Marie Cau et Amé livrent deux témoignages bouleversants sur la transidentité", 1 September 2020, Têtu
Cau worked as an agricultural technician and engineer.Clément Martinet, Marie Cau et sa liste « Décider ensemble » entendent réveiller Tilloy-lez-Marchiennes, 11 March 2020, La Voix du Nord After studying agriculture, she went on to study computers, and then joined the army; at this time she met her first wife and had three children. She felt pressure to stay in the closet at her job while she worked to support her children.Sarah Dahan, Marie Cau, première du genre, February 27, 2023, Têtu
Her older sister Myriam Cau was the former Green vice-president of Nord-Pas-de-Calais.
See also Camille Cabral, first trans woman elected (to any office) in France
References
Further reading Vic Parsons, 11 out, proud and influential transgender politicians making waves in 2020, 15 November 2020, in PinkNews Annick Cojean, Marie Cau, France's first transgender mayor: 'My lie was a prison', December 18, 2022, Le Monde Leslie Larcher, Marie Cau, maire transgenre de Tilloy-lez-Marchiennes, se dit "sereine" après le débat tumultueux sur France 2, October 18, 2022, franceinfo