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THE GUERRILLA ANGEL REPORT — [UPDATED, see below.] Lucy Meadows, a teacher at primary school in Accrington in the UK was found dead in her home. The police say her death is not suspicious. Meadows only recently began presenting as female. Reports say an autopsy has been completed but no cause of death has been announced yet.

St Mary Magdalen’s School’s Karen Hardman: “News of Lucy’s death has come as a tremendous shock to everyone in the school. She was a greatly valued member of our staff and we send her family and friends our sympathy and prayers.”

More details are expected to come out soon. Stay tuned. [See update below]

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Lucy Meadows was subject to a transphobic hit piece in the UK media recently. Any connection between that and her death at this time would be pure speculation in the absence of an exact cause of death. The UK group Trans Media Watch is closely monitoring the situation and new details would likely come from them first: http://www.facebook.com/groups/transmediawatch/?fref=ts

New link. This is a nice summary of what Lucy Meadows had to deal with: http://politics.co.uk/comment-analysis/2013/03/22/comment-how-the-press-hounded-lucy-meadows

Teacher due to begin new term at school as a woman is found dead – Manchester Evening News.

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UPDATED March 22, 2013. Although the cause of death has yet to be announced, a firestorm has developed over press harassment prior to Lucy Meadows’ death. Here are some excerpts from the more reputable UK sources.

Transgender writer Jane Fae:

The story of Lucy Meadows’s death is both tragic and appalling in what it says not only about how the British press operates, but also about their inability to reform themselves or self-regulate. Like the recovered addict, they are well-behaved only so long as the spotlight is on their behaviour. Remove that spotlight for an instant and it’s back, at once, to all the bad old ways.

http://politics.co.uk/comment-analysis/2013/03/22/comment-how-the-press-hounded-lucy-meadows

From The Independent (apparently a bit more sensitive this time):

“In an email, seen by The Independent, sent to a supporter before her death, Lucy Meadows describes how she had to dodge waiting reporters and photographers as she went to work at the primary school in Accrington, Lancashire.

It emerged yesterday that Ms Meadows, who was Nathan Upton before the sex change, contacted the Press Complaints Commission, which circulated a note urging editors to call off reporters and photographers from pursuing the teacher. . . .

Actor Hugh Grant and former Labour spin doctor Alastair Campbell used their Twitter feeds to highlight the case claiming it illustrated another example of press misconduct. . . .”

Full story: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/transgender-primary-school-teacher-who-took-own-life-had-sought-protection-from-media-hounding-before-her-death-8546468.html

The Guardian:

“On Friday, more than 3,000 people signed a petition urging the [Daily] Mail to fire Littlejohn and demanding a formal apology for the stress and pain, the petitioners said had been caused to Meadows by the columnist, the paper and its readership. A vigil has also been organised outside the Daily Mail offices in Kensington, west London, on Monday at 6.30pm.

On Friday Kate Green, the Labour MP for Urmston and Stretford and shadow minister for women and equalities, said: “It is totally unacceptable to humiliate people or invade someone’s privacy when there is absolutely no public interest in the story. . .”

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2013/mar/22/trans-teacher-lucy-meadows-press?INTCMP=ILCNETTXT3487

A vigil is planned for Monday: http://www.facebook.com/events/158234694340156/158241987672760/?notif_t=plan_mall_activity

I should note that the offending article published in the Daily Mail being referred to in the articles above have been removed from the newspaper’s website. However, I’ve seen statements from trans activists that archives of the story exists.

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The Guerrilla Angel Report is associated with Wipe Out Transphobia: http://www.wipeouttransphobia.com/

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Categories: Deaths, Murder, Transgender, Transsexual, Trans, Transphobia, exploitation, dehumanizing, violence, hate