Sophie Cook
Sophie Cook (born January 4, 1967) is a British author, broadcaster, photographer and politician.[1][2]
Biography
Born Steven Cook in Bournemouth, Dorset, she transitioned from male to female in July 2015.[3]
A jet engine technician in the Royal Air Force (1983-1991), Cook served on Tornado aircraft and in 1985, at the age of 18, saved the life of a colleague following an explosion on an aircraft.
After spending most of the 1990s in Saudi Arabia, she returned to the UK in 1998 where she became a photographer with a varied portfolio, including stints as club photographer at AFC Bournemouth and a long connection to Peter Doherty and The Libertines.[4]
Having struggled with her gender identity from childhood and with her mental health, notably posttraumatic stress disorder, self harming and suicidal ideation both during and after her military service, Cook finally transitioned in July 2015 while working at AFC Bournemouth. In doing so, she became the first transgender person to work in Premier League football.[5][6]
Cook began using her profile to speak out against the stigma surrounding mental health and bigotry, including an appearance at TEDx Brighton in 2018.[7]
She became a news anchor and TV chat show host for Latest TV in Brighton, again setting a first, this time as the first transgender newscaster in Europe.[8]
In 2017, Cook stood as the Labour general election candidate in East Worthing and Shoreham, where she increased the Labour vote by 114% from 2015, polling 20,882 votes, missing out on becoming the UK's first transgender MP.[9][10]
Her autobiography, Not Today: How I Chose Life, was released in 2018[11] as a self-help book for those struggling with mental health or identity.[4]
Cook was recognised for her work raising awareness of mental health issues with the award of the title of Doctor of Letters from Bournemouth University in November 2019.[12]
She was running as an independent in the 2019 general election; she will be on the ballot paper, but withdrew on 18 November 2019, citing harassment that she was receiving and its effect on her mental health as the reason for doing so.[13]
In 2019, she set up the Sophie Cook Foundation in order to tackle the stigma surrounding mental health in schools, colleges and universities.[14]
References
- ↑ Jeremy Wilson (May 16, 2017). "Exclusive interview: Sophie Cook on being a transgender woman in football, standing in the general election and her daughter's message". The Telegraph.
- ↑ Keeley Bolger (November 5, 2018). "Sophie Cook on being the first transgender person to work in the Premier League and a vision for Sussex". Sussex Life.
...Former Shoreham Labour candidate Sophie Cook discusses being the first transgender person to work in the Premier League, transitioning and her vision for the county
- ↑ Sophie Cook (November 19, 2017). "Before you ridicule a transgender person, you should realise what we've been through". Independent.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Le Roux, Adam (March 8, 2019). "Sophie Cook Photography". Sports Gazette. Retrieved December 23, 2019.
- ↑ Sophie Cook (June 12, 2017). "Sophie Cook on her journey to become the first transgender woman to work in the Premier League". Dorset Magazine.
- ↑ Sky Sports (November 28, 2017). "Sophie Cook shares her story on My Icon: Rainbow Laces". Sky Sports.
- ↑ TEDx Talks (March 12, 2019). "Not Today, how I chose life | Sophie Cook | TEDxBrighton" – via YouTube.
- ↑ Jimmy Nsubuga (June 10, 2016). "Premier League photographer becomes first transgender news anchor in Europe". Metro newspaper.
- ↑ Jasmine Andersson (May 1, 2017). "Sophie Cook campaigns to become first transgender MP". International Business Times.
...Cook will be fighting to claim the seat in East Worthing and Shoreham for Labour on 8 June.
- ↑ Heather Saul (May 2, 2017). "Sophie Cook: Labour candidate could be UK's first openly transgender MP". i News.
- ↑ Attila The Stockbroker (December 14, 2017). "How Sophie Cook chose life is my highlight of 2018". Morning Star.
- ↑ "Bournemouth University to celebrate graduation of students". www.bournemouth.ac.uk. Retrieved 2019-12-01.
- ↑ "East Worthing and Shoreham: Parliamentary candidate says she is stepping down following 'abuse and harassment'". Worthing Herald. 21 November 2019.
- ↑ "Sophie Cook Foundation".[permanent dead link]
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