There is no way to come up with statistics about the percent of us in the LGBTQ+ community have thought of suicide, thought of it more than once, and how many of us have attempted leaving this world. I myself if asked would add to the tall as 1 / 1 / 0 .
Recently, one of the most prominent individuals of the transgender community, Laverne Cox, shared with People.com that she had thought about suicide in the past.
“One day I sat down and I typed up notes, and the notes said, ‘My name is Laverne Cox and I should not be referred to by any other name. My preferred pronouns are ‘she’ and ‘her’, and I shouldn’t be referred to as any other pronouns.’ And I made about five copies and had a copy in each of my pockets and placed them around my apartment because I was planning to commit suicide,” she added. “I was planning to kill myself. I wanted to make sure that I would not be mis-gendered in my death. I wanted to be sure that I would not be dead-named in my death. That the disregard for my identity on a daily basis would not happen when I was dead. I am not entirely sure why I didn’t commit suicide when I was thinking about doing it 17 years ago … and I am so grateful that I decided not to try to take my life. I’m so grateful that I survived. I have come to understand that I am here for a divine purpose and I want every trans person to know that you are here for a divine purpose no matter what anyone says ago you.” – People.com
The power of sharing your story, Laverne, cannot be measured. But it needs to be shared and heard by others. Laverne Cox is a great example of "It Gets Better" for not just transgender individuals, but for anyone in the LGBTQ+ community or EVERYONE, especially those that have felt threatened because of who they are.
The People.com piece was in conjunction with her appearance Wednesday in Boston when she was campaigning on behalf of the supporters of Yes on Question 3. The Massachusetts ballot question will determine whether the law passed in 2016 that protects transgender people from discrimination in public places like restaurants, shops, and movie theaters will be upheld. Cox was also interviewed on the Greater Boston program in relation to "transgender laws."
Earlier on in the People.com interview, Cox shared:
“I was living in New York City, and every day that I left the house I had to arm myself. Not literally, but emotionally. Because I knew that when I left the house, I was probably going to be harassed. I knew the second I left that people would mis-gender me, call me a man, that the second I walked into the subway I wouldn’t feel safe, when I walked into the bodega I would be pointed at and laughed at, and treated as if I were not human.- People.com
Blessed the day when our numbers would be 0 / 0 / 0 . Imagine if LGBTQ+ people has no need to think of suicide ever, not even once.
If you need help and want to talk to someone about thoughts of suicide and depression, reach out to the The Trevor Project
h/t: People.com