Emotional wellbeing support for transgender people will be investigated as part of a coronial inquiry into the suspected suicides of five people who were undergoing gender affirmation processes before their deaths.
The Victorian coroners will next month begin a four-day inquest into the deaths of five transgender and gender-diverse people between 2020 and 2021.
While the deaths are not directly linked, all of the deceased were young transgender or gender-diverse people who had affirmed or were on a journey to affirm their identity as female, had a history of mental health issues and had at least one mental health diagnosis.
The lead case is Bridget Flack, a 28-year-old woman who died in 2020. She had begun gender affirmation in the years prior to her death and had a history of mental health issues.
“Bridget is described as ultimately expressing comfort and pride in being trans,” Gemma Cafarella, counsel assisting the coroner, told the court on Friday during a hearing laying out the scope of the inquiry.
Cafarella said Flack reported feeling isolated during Covid and could not participate in her hobbies which included activism, socialising and DJing. She had contact with public and private mental health service providers before her death, the court heard.
Flack was last seen by a friend on the morning of 30 November 2020 in Carlton. She had said she was going to take a walk in a park in Fairfield but, despite contacting people via phone later in the day, never returned home.
After her disappearance made national headlines, more than 120 people, including members of the LGBTQ+ community, helped her family search for her body. Her body was found in bushland in Kew two weeks after she was reported missing. It is understood she died between 1 and 11 December, the court heard.
Flack’s body was found by members of the LGBTQ+ community, Carafella said.
“The commissioner for LGBTIQ+ communities has highlighted that the fact that Bridget was found by community members was highly distressing for the community,” she said.
The inquest will investigate if steps taken by Victoria police in regards to Flack’s case were consistent with their policies on searching for missing persons.
All five people who died were born between 1987 and 2001 and some were known to each other.
The court will also examine the deaths of Matt Byrne, a 25-year-old woman who died on 30 March 2021, Heather Pierard, a 20-year-old woman who died on 11 May 2021 and Natalie Wilson, a 33-year-old woman who died on 2 September 2020.
The court has ordered that the fifth person be known under the pseudonym AS.
Cafarella said the inquest would focus on improvements to systems rather than individual treatment. She said it would also investigate suicide prevention and support for transgender and gender-diverse people in the event that a suicide in the community occurred. The coroner will make recommendations to help prevent future suicides.
Last year, the Victorian coroner’s court released analysis for the first time showing that more than 200 LGBTQ+ Victorians had died by suicide in the past decade.
It said LGBTQ+ people were at higher risk of suicidal behaviours than the general population in Australia and this risk may have been amplified during the pandemic.
Witnesses to appear before the inquest include the Victoria police deputy commissioner Neil Paterson, medical experts, and LGBTQ+ experts, including the Victorian commissioner for LGBTIQ+ communities, Todd Fernando.
The inquest before coroner Ingrid Giles will run from 27-30 November.
In Australia, support is available at Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636, Lifeline on 13 11 14, and at MensLine on 1300 789 978. International helplines can be found at befrienders.org
