SAN DIEGO, Calif. – A 16-year-old transgender teen from Fallbrook, Calif., who spoke on YouTube about being bullied at high school has died of an apparent suicide.
Family members confirmed that Taylor Alesana took her life on April 2, but details surrounding her death were not revealed, reports KGTV in San Diego.
In a video posted online in November, Taylor reached out to other transgender youth to document her own experiences and encourage others like her.
“The biggest piece of advice I could give to someone who’s transgender and is struggling – ‘you’re becoming yourself,'” Taylor proclaimed in the video, while also acknowledging that she’s “lost friends — tons of friends — and it’s been hell.”
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In the video, Taylor talks about always wearing headphones, saying, “I walk through school because of all the shit I’m going to get.”
Disposti said when Alesena complained to counselors, nothing changed.
“She felt unsafe, she felt beat up every day she needed to go to school,” said Disposti.
A candlelight vigil is planned at the North County LGBTQ Resource Center in Oceanside, Calif., on Thursday at 6 p.m.
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