John Blair (Northern Ireland politician)
John Blair | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly for South Antrim | |
| Assumed office 27 June 2018 | |
| Preceded by | David Ford |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 10 February 1966 |
| Nationality | Northern Irish |
| Political party | Alliance |
| Other political affiliations | Newtownabbey Ratepayers' Association (1997–2005)[1] |
| Occupation | Politician |
John Kenneth Blair (born 10 February 1966) is a Northern Irish politician who is a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly for South Antrim since 2018. He is the first openly homosexual member of the Assembly.[2][3]
Political career
Blair was elected to Newtownabbey Borough Council in 2011 representing Glengormley Urban, and to the new Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council in 2014.[1][4] In 2018, he was co-opted to fill David Ford's Assembly seat in South Antrim.[5] However, he has yet to actually take his seat, as the Assembly is collapsed. Blair has been appointed to the British–Irish Parliamentary Assembly and the Northern Ireland Policing Board.[6][7]
Personal life
Blair is gay; he is the first openly gay MLA.[8][9][10]
See also
- Alliance Party of Northern Ireland
- List of the first LGBT holders of political offices in the United Kingdom
References
- ^ a b "Newtownabbey Council Elections 1993–2011". ark.ac.uk.
- ^ "Northern Ireland set to have its first openly gay MLA". The Irish Times.
- ^ "John Kenneth BLAIR - Personal Appointments (free information from Companies House)". beta.companieshouse.gov.uk.
- ^ "Glengormley braced for loyalist trouble". 7 December 2012.
- ^ "Meet Northern Ireland's first openly gay MLA – David Ford Alliance replacement John Blair". The Belfast Telegraph.
- ^ "The Northern Ireland Assembly". Government of the United Kingdom.
- ^ "British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly | Northern Ireland Members and Associates". britishirish.org.
- ^ McCormack, Jayne (27 June 2018). "First openly gay MLA takes Stormont seat". BBC.
- ^ "Foster's attendance at LGBT event welcomed as 'a small but significant step towards equality'". newsletter.co.uk.
- ^ "Policing board member sacked over gay jibes". The Irish Times.
External links
- John Blair on X