Kentucky state senator Karen Berg on Tuesday shared that her transgender son died by suicide, as she urged people to “practice tolerance and grace”.
She said her son, 24-year-old Henry Berg-Brousseau, also a transgender activist, died last Friday as the “lack of acceptance took a toll”.
He was “a beloved son, brother, nephew, dog parent and friend”, she said, adding that he “long struggled with mental illness, not because he was trans but born from his difficulty finding acceptance”.
"The depth of his loss is yet to be absorbed," the Louisville lawmaker said in a statement. "Henry spent his life working to extend grace, compassion and understanding to everyone, but especially to the vulnerable and marginalized. This grace, compassion and understanding was not always returned to him."
Elaborating on the effect of “vile anti-trans messaging” in America, Ms Berg said: "The vitriol against trans people is not happening in a vacuum. It is not just a way of scoring political points by exacerbating the culture wars.
"It has real-world implications for how transgender people view their place in the world and how they are treated as they just try to live their lives,” she said.
Working for an LGBTQ rights group Human Rights Campaign, Ms Berg shared that he had found a community for himself but “that could not undo the brokenness that he already felt”.
“On a daily basis at his job Henry would be aware of the hateful and vile anti-trans messaging being circulated around this country and focused at his workplace,” she said. “This hate building across the country weighed on him. In one of our last conversations he wondered if he was safe walking down the street.”
“If I have one ask, it would be this: practice tolerance and grace. Work on loving your neighbor,” she said.
Ms Berg, a physician and professor from Louisville, was first elected to the state Senate in 2020.
If you are experiencing feelings of distress and isolation, or are struggling to cope, The Samaritans offers support; you can speak to someone for free over the phone, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call National Suicide Prevention Helpline on 1-800-273-TALK (8255). The Helpline is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you.
