A conservative gay student who led a protest against a Drag Queen Story Hour this weekend was found dead of apparent suicide early Monday morning.
The death of Wilson Gavin, 21, came one day after he faced intense backlash on social media as video clips went viral showing he and 15-20 fellow students from the University of Queensland Liberal National Club storming into the Brisbane Square Library.
Note: The Liberal National Party in Australia is a center-right party.
The group began chanting “drag queens are not for kids” as Gavin was recorded arguing with drag queen Diamond Good-Rim.
The Daily Mail reports the students were protesting against children “being indoctrinated with radical gender theories.”
Organizers of the event, Rainbow Families Queensland (RFQ) said, “They entered the event chanting and scared the children. Some parents got them outside the room where they continued to chant loudly.”
Hours later, Gavin was found dead at Chelmer Railway Station, reports The Star Observer. Emergency medical technicians say he died from critical injuries but have provided no further details.
This wasn’t Gavin’s first time to protest LGBTQ issues.
In 2017, the openly gay student helped lead the “Our Voice. Our Vote.” group that opposed legalizing same-sex marriage.
During an interview with ABC Radio’s Patricia Karvelas, Gavin said, “Marriage has always been an institution between a man and a woman.”
Arguing that schools would “teach students about LGBTQ people” and churches would be forced to perform same-sex wedding ceremonies, he expressed concerns about what he called “the negative ramifications that can come directly from same-sex marriage.”
Sally Rugg, an LGBTQ activist who campaigned for marriage equality in Australia, tweeted, “Wilson Gavin was gay. I don’t know why he campaigned against SSM. I don’t know why he was so angry at a drag queen. I don’t know why he took his life. But I wish he was still here so he could have found us all. We would love him and forgive him. We do love and forgive him.”
https://twitter.com/sallyrugg/status/1216580924533403649
If you or someone you know are thinking about suicide and need someone to talk to contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. In Australia, you can call Lifeline Australia on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue Australia on 1300 22 4636.
Sad.