Aylesbury transgender activist celebrated in Bucks Hero exhibition

A transgender rights activist is being celebrated at a museum exhibition highlighting heroes in the county.

Marteene Pringle who has been campaigning locally for years is one of the Bucks Heroes showcased at an Aylesbury museum.

Visitors heading to the Discover Bucks Museum can find out more about Marteene's journey by reading the placards and posts dedicated to her at an ongoing exhibition.

Discover Bucks Museum launched the project to highlight under-served communities in the county.

This series set to last into 2024 and the museum is asking locals to send in their own nominations. Nominations can be sent via email.

In total, the museum is looking to feature 100 individuals over the next two years.

Featuring a prominent transgender rights campaigner was an obvious move when considering that in 2019 a report was released suggesting Buckinghamshire was the worst place in the UK for a member of the transgender community to live in.

In recent years Marteene has received numerous awards for her work supporting transgender rights movements.

Last year, Marteene received two nominations for the National Diversity Awards.

She has spoken openly about her journey, transitioning to become female in 2013.

In previous Bucks Herald interviews she has her strict childhood and experiences in hyper-masculine environments like the military .

And how these life events made the idea of transitioning appear alien to the way she'd been taught to live her life.

Speaking to The Bucks Herald in 2019 Marteene confessed that her parents used to beat her and ask her to act more manly, rather than help her find her true identity.

Now she takes pride as acting as a spokesperson for her community, having completed a number of radio campaigns.

Her mission is to stop hate crimes and advocate for the transgender community, not just in Buckinghamshire, but on a national and international level.

She is a board member for a multi-agency group helping sexual assault and abuse victims. She is also working with Buckinghamshire NHS Trust to give a future voice to the transgender community. In Marteen's Bucks Heroes wing at the museum is the message: “Be careful who you hate, it could be someone you love.”