A 16-year-old transgender teen and YouTube personality has died after allegedly being subjected to intense bullying at the hands of her classmates.
Taylor Alesena made a name for herself on YouTube talking about her experiences with bullying and the loneliness she experienced at the hands of her peers. Now, the transgender teen has reportedly taken her own life, according to ABC 10 News.
In the above video, Max Disposit, executive director of the local LGBTQ Resource Center, speaks extensively about the cyber bullying Alesena experienced because of her transgender identity.
The following statement was released by the teen's school district.
One of Fallbrook High School's students tragically passed away during the spring break, on Thursday, April 2.
We are attempting to honor the family's request for privacy while also helping our students and staff who have been impacted by this sad event. The district has had counselors on site to support our school community.
Fallbrook High has a continuum of appropriate services (social, emotional, academic) to ensure every student is supported and successful at Fallbrook High School. It is never easy when something like this happens, but we are working to move forward together and stronger than before.
Despite major mainstream strides for LGBT equality, transgender people still take their own life at a disproportionately alarming rate. Recently, a transgender teen in North Carolina who was crowned homecoming king allegedly took his own life after becoming an advocate for the trans community.
Need help? In the U.S., call 1-800-273-8255 for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. LGBT youth can also reach out to The Trevor Project Lifeline at 1-866-488-7386.
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