On March 24, 2015, it was reported that Charlotte teen Blake Brockington had passed away of an an apparent suicide.
Blake was only 18-years-old. He was a local activist and involved in the LGBT community and the Black Lives Matter movement.
I had talked with Blake quite a few times, mostly online. With the ongoing instances of police killings and brutality, I wanted Charlotte to stand up and show that we were?in solidarity with people of color and their allies from around the nation. He and I talked about rallies, events, and things that could be done to promote change. We also had conversations about the importance of respecting each other and all coming together for a bigger cause which I really felt, and still feel, is necessary.
Blake was such a presence. He was so incredibly passionate about justice for everyone, not just people like him. But Blake did need justice because of his double minority status. He was black and transgender.
He helped out at?Time Out Youth,?a place for LGBTQ people and allies to come and feel a sense of community in the Charlotte area. He mentored younger individuals and was a beacon of strength and hope for many. He made national news when, as a high school senior, he became the first transgender person in this area to win a homecoming crown when he was crowned King at East Mecklenburg High School. But the victory came with a lot of hateful comments, according to Blake.
Being a transgender person of color was also a struggle. Having talked to Blake and seeing him at rallies for black equality and justice, I could tell that he did not see the world as being fair. A point that I agreed with him on. This is why he was active in creating change for racial minorities as well and was a leader in the recent rallies and marches for justice that took place in Uptown Charlotte following events in Ferguson and New York City.
His death sent shock-waves throughout Charlotte and much of the country because he seemed so strong, so vibrant. But the battles one has internally can never truly be known to the outside world.
And this is why we need to focus on our culture. To preface this, I want to say that I do not directly blame anyone for the suicide of another person. However, we need to be mindful of what we say and what we do.
Recently, Charlotte’s City Council rejected an ordinance that would protect LGBT people from discrimination. Not only did many?council members?attempt to throw trans people under the bus, in hopes of “compromising” and having a more passable piece of legislation, the rhetoric from the community on this issue was egregious. Some simply stated that trans people didn’t exist. Or that they were “mentally ill” and why should we care about giving rights to people like that?
I was completely and totally appalled at what I heard that night so I cannot imagine how a transgender person felt. The continued degradation of trans people in particular HAS to stop. Many in the Black Lives Matter movement specifically don’t seem to care about this community in any way, shape, or form. Some of the comments I have seen on Twitter and Facebook are disgusting. This creates a duality between people that are black AND transgender; a sense of not belonging. We are all in this together. We all have some sort of struggle and we need to understand this.
We need to hold politicians and community members responsible. Words DO matter. Policies DO matter. Young people are watching and listening to you. And to have so-called esteemed individuals spew such hatred and bigotry publicly is a disgrace to our nation.
We need to create a culture that is more loving of people of color, women, the disabled, the poor, and yes, trans people! They have been forgotten, verbally and physically assaulted, and degraded for too long. We are failing our young people. How many more have to take their own lives before we realize that this is?our?problem?
Let’s change the hateful, despicable, and by the way, un-Godly, rhetoric and discriminatory policies that create a sense of second-class-status for some members of society. We need to do this for Blake, For Ash Haffner, for Leelah Alcorn, and all of the other transgender youth out there for whom we have let down.
