Scummy DM journalist uses children as his excuse to spread hate

[Fuschia]

http://action.sumofus.org/a/daily-mail-littlejohn-lucy-meadows/?sub=fb

What lesson have those children learnt now?

[craig1979]

This is so sad. Litlejohn deserves the sack for being an appalling hateful journalist. It's not his fault she took her own life but it is unpleasant hateful journalism from a pathetic little man. Horrible.

[treehugger]

He is vile.

[Townleygreen]

Horrible creature who works for a disgusting newspaper.

[Huggers]

Littlejohn stirred the hate, made it necessary for this teacher to have to use a back exit to get in and out of school. pursued by photographers who were after a first photo. The ball started rolling with a local Manchester journalist who took a non-story and catapulted it into the news, digging up a couple of objecting parents who gave their children thoughts they probably didn't have. So I expect Littlejohn, by making what would anyway be a stressful period for the teacher into a nightmare, is partly responsible.

[Otta]

But when he submitted this shite, an editor allowed it in to the paper. It is a rag, and peopke reading it are thick.

[FatherJack]

Daily Mail is vile and most people agree with this BUT when people want their issue/need/want voiced, it's the paper they turn to. And yes I'm thinking local SAHM, former barrister! WHY?!?

[Otta]

Because she's bored and desperate to feel as though her life has a cause other than motherhood.

[Otta]

And she's quite enjoying the infamy.

[WorkingMummy]

I am so incredibly sad to hear of this woman's death.

There was a very moving interview on radio 4 about the topic of a real marriage, in which one party had a sex change, and the marriage not only survived but became more honest and fulfilling for both partners. That couple live in this area too, and Victoria C posted about it here:

http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?27,963747

This news is just terrible. Such a cruel and unfair way to die. And so unnessary. What a waste: to have met all the challenges which being other-gendered from your body must present, and then being hounded into suicide by this kind of idiotic, bigoted, criminal hatred.

[Saffron]

I'm a little confused as to why some parents at the school felt that they needed to complain publicly to a newspaper about this transgendered teacher. Surely being transgendered is just another medical condition, like cancer, obesity, heart disease, depression etc? If explained at the appropriate level, I can't see how that's a problem for children.

I can only come to the same conclusion as WM above: bigoted, criminal hatred on the part of the parents. I'm not saying that the school was 100% correct in the way they handled this case. However, surely they were better avenues for parents to deal with it? And possibly the school should have used a little more forethought to account for some parents' prejudiced natures?

Also I agree with Otta. The editor(s) should be shouldering some responsibility here too.

[Earl Aelfheah]

Littlejohn is a pathetic.

[oimissus]

Paul Dacre (DM editor) has to be one of the most appalling people working in journalism. People go on about Murdoch and his henchmen but I actually think Dacre is far far worse. People think they are 'better' cos they read the Mail not the Sun, but they aren't. He is an utter disgrace. You can thank him for Cameron's current waffle on immigration, that's for sure. In fact, if you aren't a white, British, working man, Dacre will park all of society's ills at your door at some point.

My Mil (who is otherwise lovely) is coming this week and this always brings my DM-hate to the fore as she's bound to trot something or other out that's she's read in it. Why??? You're an intelligent woman, stop it! Grrrrrr.

[minder]

Very said to hear of this woman's death.

Reading through the posts and then reading the last one. I can read the Sun in less than 5 minutes but the Mail takes a lot longer. Does that make me 'better'?

Edited to say I feel sorry for your mother-in-law!

[Otta]

The Sun is what it is (shit), and makes no secret of it. The DM has decided that it is the moral guardian of middle England, and it openly hate mongers. Much worse IMO.

[oimissus]

as is so often the case, Otta has pithily written what I want to say but can't get the words out right. As it is, I'm off back to mulling over attractive young men in armour and furs.

[treehugger]

Please sign the petition attached to the OP.

[ianr]

The initial Accrington Observer article is here: http://www.accringtonobserver.co.uk/news/local-news/accrington-schools-letter-parents-tells-1273948

And a copy of Littlejohn's is here: http://web.archive.org/web/20121226073921/http:/www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2251347/Nathan-Uptons-wrong-body--hes-wrong-job.html.

If you go to the page, www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2251347/Nathan-Uptons-wrong-body--hes-wrong-job.html, from which the archive copy was made, you are redirected to another version, from which the relevant article is absent.

At http://www.newstatesman.com/2013/03/press-regulation-freedom-speech-and-death-lucy-meadows is a piece by Jane Fae who has seen some of Lucy Meadows' emails about the behaviour of some of the press.