A Change of Sex<\/em>, directed by David Pearson, is believed to be the first time a trans person\u2019s transition was documented on mainstream television.<\/p>\n The series, however, proved controversial among the trans community, with some condemning the intrusive methods used in the filming and the usage of Grant\u2019s dead name.<\/p>\n Melvin Taylor, a friend of Grant\u2019s, confirmed to that the trans campaigner passed away in the early hours of Wednesday morning (January 2) after suffering from a short illness.<\/p>\n \u2014Melvin Taylor, a friend of Julia Grant<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Born in 1954 in Preston, Grant was brought up in the Lancashire town of Fleetwood, before moving to London in 1974.<\/p>\n She was first shown working as a caterer manager in\u00a0A Change of Sex.<\/em><\/p>\n Grant later moved to Manchester, where she owned and operated gay venue Hollywood Showbar.<\/p>\n She published a book called\u00a0Just Julia: The Story of an Extraordinary Woman\u00a0<\/em>in 1994, which detailed her own transition and the struggles facing trans people in the UK.<\/p>\n In recent years, Grant has campaigned to protect Manchester\u2019s Gay Village, which is under threat from property developers.<\/p>\n She also helped to set up Benidorm Gay Pride.<\/p>\n TRANS CAMPAIGNERS PAY TRIBUTE TO \u201cPIONEER\u201d JULIA GRANT<\/p>\n LGBT+ rights campaigners have paid tribute to Grant.<\/p>\n Taylor and his wife Anne told PinkNews: \u201cWhen Julia first did her televised operation in 1979 it lay the ground for the many beautiful trans people to see the light.<\/p>\n \u201cI have to say Julia gave many people the courage, like she had, to become the butterfly they wanted to be and become the person they wanted to be.\u201d<\/p>\n Taylor said Grant\u2019s work had helped \u201cthousands\u201d of people.<\/p>\n \u201cShe was larger than life and what you saw is what you got, but she had one great big heart of gold,\u201d Taylor continued.<\/p>\n \u201cShe did so much for charity and the gay community.\u201d<\/p>\n Helen Belcher, co-founder of Trans Media Watch, told PinkNews: \u201cI only met Julia once, and she was obviously a forceful character. Folk are bound to find such people controversial.\u201d<\/p>\n Belcher continued: \u201cShe was the first person whose transition was documented on television. It gave information across the mass media which was in very short supply in 1979\u2014even if that information was distorted through the media\u2019s desire to simplify.<\/p>\n \u201cShe gave hope that transition was possible under the NHS to people who had huge difficulties in finding any kind of support network.<\/p>\n \u201cA Change of Sex<\/em>\u00a0was very much of its time.<\/p>\n \u201cMany documentaries have sought to do the same thing since, so it does come across as intrusive and prurient now, but there had been nothing like it before.\u201d<\/p>\n Belcher also\u00a0posted on Twitter<\/a>\u00a0about\u00a0one controversial scene from\u00a0A Change of Sex<\/em>, in which Grant takes a \u201cgrilling\u201d from John Randall, the then head of Charing Cross Hospital\u2019s Gender Identity Clinic, GIC, about how she knew that she is a woman.<\/p>\n Belcher said: \u201cAnd that question also stayed with me for years, delaying my own transition.\u201d<\/p>\n She said the documentary showed \u201chow the media and medics have treated trans people for years,\u201d but added thad she has seen \u201csome improvement since then.\u201d<\/p>\nJulia Grant passes away following short illness<\/h2>\n
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\u201cJulia gave many people the courage, like she had, to become the butterfly they wanted to be.\u201d<\/h2>\n
![\"Tributes](\"https:\/\/www.pinknews.co.uk\/images\/2019\/01\/Theresa-Davies_Julia-Grant-.jpg\")