Trans Advocate Lia Smith Found Dead [View all]
Lia Smith, a transgender student at Middlebury College in Vermont, has been confirmed dead by local authorities. Smith, 21, was an active member of student life as a former diver on the women’s swimming and diving team, a member of the Chess Club, Japanese Club, and Women in Computer Science, and “an articulate advocate of transgender rights,” according to a message from Middlebury president Ian Baucom.
Earlier this year, Smith participated in a campus forum that addressed the ongoing political attacks against transgender people in the US. The February 2025 event, covered by the Addison Independent, was held in response to multiple executive orders signed by current US President Donald Trump that targeted trans healthcare and participation in sports. Smith spoke on a panel titled Trans Healthcare is NOT a Debate!, a protest against the college’s decision to host a talk called What is the Right Approach to Public Policy and Transgender Medicine?
On October 23, the Vermont Police Department released a statement confirming that their search and rescue team had discovered a body near the college’s organic farm. The Vermont Chief Medical Examiner’s Office later identified the body as Smith and determined that there was no suspicion of foul play. The cause of death has now been ruled as suicide.
https://gcn.ie/us-trans-diver-lia-smith-dead/
"Suicide" my ass.
= new reply since forum marked as read