W. Meredith Bacon

W. Meredith Bacon (June 30 1946 – February 8 2026) was a retired political science professor and LGBT-rights activist. When she changed her name and transitioned to female in 2005, she retained the "W" as a first initial that was changed to stand for nothing and retained her lifelong middle name, Meredith.

A specialist in international relations, particularly politics in Romania and Moldova, Bacon taught political science at the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) for 38 years. She served three nonconsecutive terms as President of the Faculty Senate, the first two before her transition and the third after her transition. At an all-boy Episcopalian boarding school in Connecticut, she became active in theatre and willingly took female roles on stage.

Bacon met Lynne Lazier in 1964, while both were students at Colorado College, and they married in 1968. Upon moving to Omaha, they built their careers in the collegiate environments and maintain an affectionate, not sexual, relationship.

Bacon died on February 8 2026, at the age of 79.

Transition In the late 1990s, Bacon was officially diagnosed with Gender Identity Disorder.