Fifteen year old trans teen kills himself
A fifteen year old transgender teenager has killed himself after scheduling a suicide note to be published on Tumblr.
A campaign to remember 15-year-old trans teenager Zander Mahaffey has gone viral with the hashtag #HisNameWasZander.
Mahaffey took his own life on Sunday and posted his suicide in a queue on Tumblr, in a similar way to 17-year-old Alcorn from Ohio posted a heartbreaking suicide note on Tumblr, citing her parent’s refusal to accept her trans status, and calling for better education and awareness, before taking her own life by stepping in front of a truck.
Zander, who was from Austell, Georgia, posted his suicide note on his blog, saying he felt bullied by his family and was sexually assaulted.
In it, he said his mother, who he says is disabled, was not supportive of him, when he had panic attacks she would insult him and she would accuse him of stealing money. He shared memories of her, and wrote personal messages to members of his family and friends, as well as the plans for his suicide
Since his death, the hashtag #HisNameWasZander has already has over 7000 mentions on Twitter from people who don’t want Zander’s death to be forgotten. The hashtag was used alongside numbers of suicide hotlines, in an effort to prevent further deaths.
A funeral home listing details that the funeral took place on Wednesday 18 February. states that donations should be made to the Susan G Komen breast cancer charity.
Zander has been misgendered in memorial posts by some of his family and friends under his birth name. His friends have set up a blog so people can remember him under the right name.
Suicide rates among young trans people are very high. In a survey conducted by Pace, an LGBT mental health charity, 48% of trans people under 26 said they had attempted suicide.
His death has been compared to the tragic suicide of trans teen Leelah Alcorn who also published her suicide note on Tumblr. The note has since been removed by site moderators, which was met with criticism from Tumblr users.
If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article and need to talk to someone, visit samaritans.org or call 08457 90 90 90.
