Lionel Blair, in an interview with the Daily Mail has described how he put a man in hospital because he called the star a ‘fairy’ and can’t bear same-sex marriage
During the interview, Lionel Blair, 82, admits to the disproportionent and violent act, because the man called him a fairy in front of his daughter, Lucy.
Blair, punched him, ‘He had to go to hospital!’, said the 82-year-old television presenter.
He remarked that the jokes and speculation about his sexuality were trying saying, ‘It isn’t nice when you have a family.’
When questioned on whether he supported the right for same-sex marriage he said, ‘I can’t bear it, I’m afraid. Look, if people want to live together, fine. And I do believe in civil partnerships. But marriage is between a man and a woman.
‘The world has changed. What has happened to my beautiful England?’
Blair starred in Celebrity Big Brother in January 2014 and became the third housemate to be evicted from the series. The series would go on to be one of the most controversial after former boxer Evander Holyfield made a series of homophobic remarks.
Around Two Hundred and Fifty People Unite In front of the Daily Mail offices in London for the candle-lit vigil for Transgender Teacher found dead at her home.
CREDIT: TheGayUK
A gathering of around 250-300, from all walks of life, braved the near sub zero temperatures in London this evening in solidarity with the transgender community, to pay respects and to mark a vigil for teacher, Lucy Meadows, 32, who was found dead at her home last Tuesday.
The Vigil which was dubbed a ‘vigil against monstering’ was aimed at the Daily Mail and its columnist Richard Littlejohn, who prompted an angry outburst after the emergence of an article entitled ‘He’s not only in the wrong body… he’s in the wrong job’.
Daily Mail have since removed the column, however a cache copy of the article remains here: http://web.archive.org/web/20121221195332/http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2251347/Nathan-Uptons-wrong-body–hes-wrong-job.html
It’s claimed that following Littlejohn’s column, Meadows, who was transitioning at the time, was routinely hounded by the press. In a New Year’s Day email to a friend, reported by the Guardian, Meadows complained that the media had published one of her wedding photos, and had lifted other photos from her siblings’ Facebook pages. She described the lengths she had taken to avoid being photographed. “I became pretty good at avoiding the press before Christmas. I live about a three-minute walk from school so they were parked outside my house as well as school. I’m just glad they didn’t realise I also have a back door. I was usually in school before the press arrived and stayed until latest I could avoid them going home.”
CREDIT: TheGayUK
Speakers at the event included journalist and activist Jane Fey and Natasha Kennedy, who works in trans activism. Graham Jones the MP for Haslingden and Hyndburn, the constituency in which Miss Meadows lived, also made an appearance.
He tweeted: “Just raised the death of #lucymeadows in the House of Commons. Universal sympathy. Speaker described such journalist actions as despicable.”
Creators of the Facebook events page, Theresa Heath and Puja Maniar, said: “It was so spontaneous and I think shows a real feeling that people are sick to death of it. The trans community has been absolutely trashed by certain sections of the media, and everybody is thinking this has just got to stop.”
Jane Fae tried to get a comment from the Daily Mail, but they wouldn’t talk to her.
Over One Hundred and Thirty Thousand Signatures Call For The Sacking or Resignation Of The Daily Mail’s Columnist,Richard Littlejohn, Over ‘He’s In The Wrong Body’ Article.
Over 130,000 signatures have been collected on one of two e-petitions calling on the Daily Mail to fire one of its writers, Richard Littlejohn.
The controversial writer was blasted by thousands of people after the Daily Mail published a piece, in December 2012, entitled “He’s not only in the wrong body… he’s in the wrong job”, about Lucy Meadows, a transgendered primary school teacher, who was found dead in her home last Tuesday.
Creators of the SumOfUs petition said: “The vile article led to a witch hunt targeting Meadows. Newspapers offered to pay parents for a picture of her, and she complained of having to leave home by the back door and arrive early to school to avoid the packs of journalists.
Sign our petition to the Daily Mail: sack Richard Littlejohn, issue an apology, and institute an editorial review to ensure that this never happens again.”
The two online petitions are hosted by SumOfUs.org and Changes.org. They have received 108, 520 and 22,097 signatures respectively.
The Daily Mail have vehemently defended Littlejohn. A spokesman said: “It is regrettable that this tragic death should now be the subject of an orchestrated Twitterstorm, fanned by individuals – including former Labour spin doctor Alastair Campbell – with agendas to pursue.”
Campbell had previously tweeted: “I hope journalists are doorstepping Dacre Murdoch and Littlejohn for their reaction to Lucy Meadows suicide. The Mail really is scum.”
David Allen Green, legal advisor to Trans Media Watch, a charity for transgender people, told BBC Radio 4’s The World Tonight: “There is no public interest in the story whatsoever. The only part of the story which seems significant is that there is a gender reassignment, what used to be called a sex change.”
“What makes it especially easy for tabloids is that transgendered people are very unlikely to fight back. They are usually members of the public and have no experience of dealing with media and all they want to do is to make it go away.
“In a way, tabloids treat transgendered people the way they would treat anybody if they could get away with it.”
“There is a sense that transgendered people are fair game for sensationalist reporting. These are people who are going through the most traumatic experiences you can imagine and they are suddenly humiliated by these stories in the tabloids.”
A vigil is due to take place outside the Daily Mail offices today on the 25th March 2013, in Memory of Miss Meadows.
Over One Hundred Thousand People Call For The Sacking or Resignation Of The Daily Mail’s Richard Littlejohn, Over ‘He’s In The Wrong Body’ Article.
Over 100,000 people have signed one of two e-petitions calling on the Daily Mail to fire one of its writers, Richard Littlejohn.
The controversial writer was blasted by thousands of people after the Daily Mail published a piece, in December 2012, entitled “He’s not only in the wrong body… he’s in the wrong job”, about Lucy Meadows, a transgendered primary school teacher, who was found dead in her home last Tuesday.
Creators of the SumOfUs petition said: “The vile article led to a witch hunt targeting Meadows. Newspapers offered to pay parents for a picture of her, and she complained of having to leave home by the back door and arrive early to school to avoid the packs of journalists.Sign our petition to the Daily Mail: sack Richard Littlejohn, issue an apology, and institute an editorial review to ensure that this never happens again.”
In memory of Lucy Meadows: Vigil Against Monstering.
Following the tragic death of popular primary school teacher Lucy Meadows last Tuesday, a ‘vigil against monstering’, in Lucy’s memory, has been planned to take place tomorrow evening, (25th March 2013) outside the Daily Mail offices in Kensington.
Online anger has being growing after the emergence of an article written by Daily Mail columnist Richard Littlejohn.
The piece entitled: ‘He’s not only in the wrong body… he’s in the wrong job’ was first published on December 20th 2012. Littlejohn, who referred to Meadows as ‘he’ throughout, claimed her decision was due to ‘personal problems’ and inferred that by proceeding with gender reassignment surgery showed she didn’t care for the children she taught.
It’s claimed that following Littlejohn’s column, Meadows, who was transitioning at the time, was routinely hounded by the press. In a New Year’s Day email to a friend, reported by the Guardian, Meadows complained that the media had published one of her wedding photos, and had lifted other photos from her siblings’ Facebook pages. She described the lengths she had taken to avoid being photographed. “I became pretty good at avoiding the press before Christmas. I live about a three-minute walk from school so they were parked outside my house as well as school. I’m just glad they didn’t realise I also have a back door. I was usually in school before the press arrived and stayed until latest I could avoid them going home.”
Two online petitions calling for Littlejohn to be fired and issue a formal apology have received huge support over the weekend. The tally of signatures, combining the Change.org and Sum of Us petitions stands at almost 90,000 today.
The Daily Mail have vehemently defended Littlejohn. A spokesman said: “It is regrettable that this tragic death should now be the subject of an orchestrated Twitterstorm, fanned by individuals – including former Labour spin doctor Alastair Campbell – with agendas to pursue.”
Campbell had previously tweeted: “I hope journalists are doorstepping Dacre Murdoch and Littlejohn for their reaction to Lucy Meadows suicide. The Mail really is scum.”
David Allen Green, legal advisor to Trans Media Watch, a charity for transgender people, told BBC Radio 4’s The World Tonight: “There is no public interest in the story whatsoever. The only part of the story which seems significant is that there is a gender reassignment, what used to be called a sex change.”
“What makes it especially easy for tabloids is that transgendered people are very unlikely to fight back. They are usually members of the public and have no experience of dealing with media and all they want to do is to make it go away.
“In a way, tabloids treat transgendered people the way they would treat anybody if they could get away with it.”
“There is a sense that transgendered people are fair game for sensationalist reporting. These are people who are going through the most traumatic experiences you can imagine and they are suddenly humiliated by these stories in the tabloids.”
We at TheGayUK stand strongly against any forms of discrimination. The T in LGBT needs to be supported as strongly the LGB. We must all stand together to change attitudes.
Details of the vigil:
Monday 25th March at 6.30pm.
Outside Daily Mail HQ,
Northcliffe House,
2Derry Street,
Kensington
London
W8 5TT
Nearest Underground station: High Street Kensington (District and Circle)
A transgender teacher who started the new year as Miss Meadows at her school, St. Mary Magdalen’s C or E Primary School in Accrington, has been found dead at her home.
