Journalist Jean Morris, who is best known for having made the "The Times" a scoop on the success of reaching the Everest summit, died Friday at the age of 94, and was the first British public figure to speak out publicly. By being transgender.
The BBC quoted the late Thomas’s son as saying, “At eleven and forty this morning, writer and traveler Jean Morris began her greatest journey. She left her life companion Elizabeth behind on the bank.
Jean Morris became famous when, in 1953, "The Times" provided the historical scoop on climbing Mount Everest with a coded message it sent to the editorial department.
Competition between newspapers was fierce at that time, but the "The Times" newspaper was the only one that was on the mission to Everest, Jean Morris, who was twenty-six and new to mountaineering.
Fearing that her message would be intercepted by competitors, the transgender reporter put in a special code, as the phrase "bad snow conditions" actually meant "we invaded Everest," while "the winds are still annoying" meant "to dismiss the attempt to conquer Everest." ". Each climber´s name was also coded.
On May 31, 1953, Morris sent the encrypted message. The next morning, the crowd awaiting the coronation of Elizabeth II, from the first edition of The Times, learned that two men had planted the British flag on the "roof of the world."
The Scottish journalist was also known for having made public in 1972 for being a transgender woman, and for finally adopting the name "Jan".
Jean Morris was forced to divorce Elizabeth after marriage that lasted 23 years, but they returned and married a civilian in 2008 and have five children.
After she retired from journalism, Jean-Maurice devoted himself to literature. She has published more than 40 books, and her novel "Last Letters From Half" in 1985 was nominated for the prestigious British Literary Booker Prize.
Her book "Conandram", published in 1974, was one of the first books to explicitly address transgender feelings, through her personal experience.
