Sam Green

Samuel Burton Green (29 January 1941 – 9 August 1999) was an openly gay psychiatric nurse and Liberal politician who was elected as a member of Durham City Council in 1972, making him the first openly-gay politician in the UK

Political career

Green was aged 31 at the time of his election to the Crossgate seat, and had stood for election to the council twice before.

Green retained his seat in the 1973 and 1976 local elections, but did not stand in the 1979 elections (when the seat was incorporated into a larger Crossgate and Framwelgate ward), and moved away from Durham around 1980. Council colleagues opposed production of the documentary, and banned filming in the Durham council chambers. and was re-released on DVD in 2014 as part of World in Action: Volume 4.

Legacy

In 2025, City of Durham parish council, with the support of Stonewall, agreed to place a blue plaque commemorating Green on 40 The Avenue, which had been his house at the time of his first election. The plaque was unveiled on 16 November 2025 by Sir Ed Davey , leader of the Liberal Democrats (which succeeded the Liberal Party which Green represented).