Declan Baseley is not the typical mayor you would expect in a rural Wiltshire town with a population of 45,000.

He’s 27, openly gay, and Chippenham’s youngest ever mayor.

But this has never stopped his passion for environmentalism as a Green Party councillor, which he says is rooted in his small town’s tight-knit community.

As part of Pride month, Metro.co.uk sat down with the new mayor to discuss his sexuality, the rural community he grew up in, and Chippnenham’s first ever Pride event happening on Saturday.

‘I’m fortunate to have had a positive coming out experience with no negativity but I realise this is not the case for every gay person,’ he said.

‘I think I first realised I was gay when I was 16 years old but it wasn’t until I was 17 that I came out to my best friend first of all.

‘Shortly afterwards, I came out to my family who I thought would accept me and did so with open arms.

Pride Month 2023

Pride Month is here, with members of the LGBTQ+ community and their allies celebrating their identities, accomplishments, and reflecting on the struggle for equality throughout June.

This year, Metro.co.uk is exploring the theme of family, and what it means to the LGBTQ+ community.

Find our daily highlights below, and for our latest LGBTQ+coverage, visit our dedicated Pride page.

• The LGBTQ+ books we love to read to our kids
• City of just 11,000 people defiantly hosts its first Pride and thousands turn up
• ‘We’re from countries where being gay is illegal – here’s why UK Pride is so important’

‘I’ve not faced abuse or persecution for my sexuality and I want everyone to eventually live in a society where everyone is treated equally no matter their sexuality.’

Declan, who was born in Chippenham and has lived in the town his whole life, says he has a ‘deep rooted’ connection to the town which he’s ‘enormously proud’ of.

Wishing to give back to the local community, he said this resonated well with locals in the town and the council members.

While the role of mayor is apolitical, the young man emphasised his wish for those who are young and LGBTQ+ to enter local politics and focus on what they are passionate about.

Declan said: ‘For me it is important sexuality and age is not an obstacle for anyone considering entering politics.

‘For me, it is important to represent a rural community without prejudice.

‘As suffragettes and civil rights activists paved the way for other groups to hold public office, I hope people like me even at the local level encourage young LGBTQ+ people into politics.

‘When you see representation, this encourages others who may have doubts about their capabilities.’

Declan discussed what pride represents to him in the past and how it has shaped his current understanding of LGBTQ+ rights.

‘For me Pride has been about protest in the past and is now a demonstration of how far we’ve all come,’ he said.

‘We live in a safer and less judgemental society where pride is now about a celebration of identity and sexuality.

‘But pride throughout history has taught us that achieving equality for gay people has not been a smooth process.

‘I’m proud of pride and I’m humbled to see our town’s first-ever pride event happening on June 17.

Despite being mayor since only May 17, it has been a jam-packed schedule for Declan.

He’s already had the chance to take part in some investitures, the town’s folk festival and fundraised for a charity called Doorway who help the local homeless.

His biggest obstacle has been time management and said there is ‘always something’ to do at the weekends across Chippenham.

The town’s Pride event starts at 1pm and features local musicians, comedians and a speakers stage.

Organised entirely by volunteers, Declan expressed his own pride at seeing the event hosted in the town he holds close to his heart.

‘I’ll be enormously proud to see the pride flag raised on the town hall for the very first time,’ he said.

‘My thanks goes out to all the volunteers who’ve worked so hard to make sure this goes ahead.

‘I feel enormous pride to see this event happen in my hometown.’  

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