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Newsweek’s profile of a former death row inmate and convicted murderer, who is transitioning into a woman, shocked readers who called it “puff piece.”
Steven Joseph Hayes was previously sentenced to death in 2010 for the killing of a Connecticut mother and her two daughters after an attempted burglary. Hayes’ death sentence was later commuted to life without parole in 2015.
Since being convicted, Hayes has transitioned to Linda Mai Lee and gave exclusive comments to Newsweek, claiming to finally feel “comfortable living as a woman.”
“For the first time in my life I am happy to be alive and do not want to die,” Lee told Newsweek.
Steven Joseph Hayes was convicted of murdering a woman and her two daughters and was originally given the death penalty. (Reuters/Lucy Nicholson)
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The article was criticized as a “puff piece” about a convicted murderer because the inmate was transgender.
“This man held a family of four hostage in their home for hours, beating them, raping the 11 year old daughter and the mother, then strangling the mother, and finally setting the house on fire, killing both children from smoke inhalation. Newsweek now publishes a puff piece on how he is now happy and at peace since he came to terms with his gender confusion. They claim his ‘former anger’ had been fueled by this distress. Now he is seeking treatments to feminize his appearance. (Undoubtedly funded by taxpayers.) You don’t hate the media enough,” civil liberties attorney Laura Powell wrote.
Live Action founder Lila Rose wrote, “A man convicted for the murder and rape of a mother and her two young daughters has a puff piece in Newsweek today about how happy he is now that he has ‘transitioned’ and gets to live in a WOMEN’S prison and wear lipstick and ‘panties.’ Unbelievable evil.”
Author Helen Joyce asked, “He raped an 11 year old and her mother, and murdered both, as well as the 11 year old’s sister. And we’re supposed to pity him because his crimes were supposedly because of his confusion about his gender identity? And to give a toss that he’s ‘happy to be alive’?”
“He murdered a mother and her two daughters and raped two of them before doing so. But now he’s kind of sorry for what he did, but he’s also at peace with it. The feel-good story of the year,” National Review columnist Becket Adams wrote.
“’I raped and murdered a little girl and her mother, and murdered the teenage daughter, because of my feminine gender identity’ Siri show me the definition of ‘misogynistic garbage.’ Shame on Newsweek for publishing this repulsive crap,” British columnist Hadley Freeman wrote.
“Newsweek is total trash. Used to be a respected and respectable. No more,” former professional tennis player Martina Navratilova wrote.
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In the Newsweek piece, Lee (formerly Hayes) described the murders as “wrong on every level” and “the behavior of someone deeply mired in addiction and gender identity issues.” Newsweek similarly reported on how Lee was diagnosed with gender dysphoria at the age of 16 and how “intolerance” likely contributed to the crimes.
Hayes began transitioning to Linda Mai Lee while in prison. ( Digital)
“Had Lee accepted herself earlier, Hawke-Petit and her daughters may still be alive, she said,” the article read.
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