Pas-de-Calais: the mayor of Estevelles announces her gender transition during her mandate

“I had a very strong intention of resigning, or even moving. You know, they say ‘Live happy, live hidden’. All in all, I decided to live happily and not hide”, declares Alain Szabo, mayor of Estevelles, to France 2. This first name has been replaced by that of his choice, in the feminine. At 63, Estelle Szabo is the first mayor to experience a gender transition during a mandate. And she obtained on Wednesday the “support” of its city council.

A welcome announcement

“Today, the feeling that I have is rather pride in having had confidence in me”, says the mayor. The change takes place in full mandate, a first. But that’s not a concern in the community. “I’m going to work with the Mayor, quite simply, it doesn’t change anything in the line of conduct and in my way of working”, says Cécile Caboche, head of the administrative department. The announcement was also well received in the village of 2,000 inhabitants. Estelle Szabo’s wife and their four children also support her.