In January, I received the news that a friend who I used to hang out with some years ago had taken an overdose and ended their life. We’d lost touch over the years, but they struggled for some time with their gender identity. Having started to transition late in life, I understand they faced a barrage of abuse on social media, which ultimately wore them down to the point at which they could only see suicide as a way out.
This isn’t the fi rst LGBTQ person I know to have ended their life. I don’t like to count how many others I know who have struggled to escape issues that plagued them. With some, the torment they endured was evident, and try as friends and family might to help, they still suff ered. One such young gay man was having diff iculty coming to terms with his identity and ended his life rather than reveal his sexuality to his religious family. He was just 20 years old. Not every story ends so terribly. I have seen people pulled back from the edge – be it with the support of friends, family or professional help – having managed to fi nd the strength in themselves to get through another day. Then the next day. And so on.