RIP, Jamie Hubley

BY NOREEN FAGAN – On Oct 14 Ottawa teenager Jamie Hubley took his life. In a press release, his father, Councillor Allan Hubley, wrote that his son suffered from depression and was receiving care.

He wrote that Jamie “struggled with the idea that people can judge you harshly even when you are trying to help others. Jamie asked a question no child should have to ask – why do people say mean things to me? Although James had a great many people who loved and supported him, something in his mind kept taking him to a dark place where he could not see the positive side of life, which led him to this drastic and tragic decision on Friday.”

For the past four months Jamie had been blogging on Tumblr about his depression and his angst about being gay: “You say it gets better . . . When the fuck is that.”

His ramblings are short and painful. They focus on not being able to find a boyfriend and feeling isolated from his friends.

Each entry is heartbreaking — they range from expressing hatred for himself, his friends and his life.

Throughout all of them, Jamie focuses on one thing — ending his life.

There are bright moments when he seems to find himself and let people see his creative side.

Ultimately, though, the signs were there and the writing was on the wall for a long time.

In his last entry, on Oct 14, he said goodbye to the world.

Keep Reading

Job discrimination against trans and non-binary people is alive and well

OPINION: A study reveals that we have a long way to go to reach workplace equality for trans and non-binary people

The new generation of gay Conservative sellouts

OPINION: Melissa Lantsman’s and Eric Duncan’s refusals to call out their party’s transphobia is a betrayal of the LGBTQ2S+ community

Over 300 anti-LGBTQ2S+ bills have been introduced this year. This doesn’t mean we should panic

OPINION: While it’s important to watch out for threats, not all threats are created equally. Some of these bills will die a natural death

Xtra’s top LGBTQ2S+ stories of the year

The best and brightest—even most bewildering—stories from a back catalogue brimming with insight