Teachers, students and union members took to the streets of England this weekend to march in memory of Lucy Meadows, a transgender schoolteacher who died in March. One little girl joined the crowd with a poem for the late educator.
Daisy Moreton, a 7-year-old student, attended the Saturday event in Accrington, England, along with others from the St. Mary Magdalen's Church of England Primary School community. She carried a poem she had penned for Meadows, according to the Manchester Evening News.
The poem read, "Makes you happy/ in high spirits/ smiles/ said kind things./ Made us feel good/ ever helpful/ always nice/ delightful/ one of a kind/ wonderful teacher/ scientist."
The simple writing shows what kind of impact Meadows had on at least one student while she was alive -- a positive one.
Meadows is believed to have committed suicide in March following the British media's coverage of her gender identity, according to the Guardian.
She was first thrust into the spotlight after a letter regarding her transition was written by the headmaster of St. Mary Magdalen's and was sent to the press in December. In the letter, parents were informed that the teacher they knew as Nathan Upton would be called "Miss Meadows" after the Christmas break.
The school supported Meadows, but the Daily Mail's Richard Littlejohn later wrote a column about the negative effects a transgender teacher might have on students. A Change.org petition demanding Littlejohn's resignation has since garnered more than 40,000 signatures.
Although the circumstances surrounding Meadows' death are still unclear, Helen Belcher, director of TransMedia Watch (TMW), which monitors media coverage of trans issues, told The Guardian: "We know that Lucy suffered a huge amount of monstering and harassment by the press when she was very vulnerable around Christmas. That level of press attention could not have helped her mental state one bit."
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