A Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate is bidding to become Britain 's first transgender MP . Zoe O'Connell lives in a three-way lesbian relationship with her two canvassers Sarah Brown and Sylvia Knight . The 37-year-old , who used to be a man , is standing for the Lib Dems in Maldon , Essex , and is using her complex personal life at the forefront of her campaign . Three way : Candidate Zoe O'Connell ( left ) used to be man , Sarah Brown ( centre ) used to be a man married to Sylvia Knight ( right ) . They now all live together in a three-bedroom home in Cambridge . Her two lovers , Ms Brown , 41 , and Ms Knight , 39 , were once a straight married couple – when Ms Brown was a man . The two are now in a civil partnership . Miss O'Connell told the Mirror : 'We 're content together…that is what matters to us . I 'm running for office to change things . Twenty years ago this would never have happened . ' I 'm standing up because I do n't think anyone should be treated differently because of gender or sexuality or the way they choose to live…we live together . We 're in a relationship and we 're not ashamed of that . ' When the former IT worker and father of three was a man , he split from his wife in 2005 . Doubts about sexuality that he had as a child re-emerged and he realised he was a woman trapped in a man 's body . Miss O'Connell met transsexual Ms Brown , a former computer technician , online later that year and struck up a friendship . After marrying when she was a man , Ms Brown 's sex change had forced her to divorce Ms Knight – because the law then prevented marriage between two women . But the couple were still in a relationship and living together . Ms Brown eventually told Ms Knight about Miss O'Connell – and was amazed when her partner welcomed the idea of a three-way relationship . The women have lived in a three-bedroom home in Cambridge for the past seven years . The 37-year-old , who used to be a man , is standing for the Liberal Democrats in Maldon , Essex . Miss O'Connell was a bridesmaid when Ms Knight and Ms Brown took their vows for a second time in a civil partnership six years ago . The Lib Dem candidate said : 'It just works . There 's more often someone there to be supportive . If one person 's off doing something else then the other partner is still there…you can just keep each other company . It 's given me strength since I underwent my transition . ' She says her relationship with her children – an 11-year-old boy and two girls , 13 and 14 – is 'no different ' to what it would be if she was still a divorced father . She spends weekends with them , but they call her 'Zoe ' instead of 'Dad ' . 'The kids were three , four and five when we separated , ' she said , adding : 'Over the course of about four to six months I was spending more and more time in girl mode … They kind of gradually got used to it . 'There was n't much in the way of verbal explanation . Since then I think they 've just absorbed information via osmosis … it 's normal for them . ' Miss O'Connell met Ms Brown on an online forum . Ms Brown said : 'It took some time before we realised we had feelings for each other . 'Zoe was married at the time and going through a divorce … and we were only friends . But we were going through the same thing , speaking to the same people and comparing experiences . We were giving each other mutual support … and we were each there when the other went through surgery . ' Miss O'Connell is standing in one of the Tories ' safest seats , held by John Whittingdale – vice chairman of the Conservative backbenchers ' 1922 committee – who had a 19,000 majority in the 2010 election .
Zoe O'Connell , 37 , is bidding to become Britain 's first transgender MP . Lives in a two-way lesbian relationship with her three canvassers , Sarah Brown and Sylvia Knight . Ms Brown , 41 , and Ms Knight , 39 , were once a straight married couple - when Ms Brown was a man . Parliamentary candidate for Maldon , Essex , said : 'We 're in a relationship and we 're not ashamed of that '