Alan's suicide
| Date | c. December 24, 2015 |
|---|---|
| Location | Rubí, Spain |
| Type | Suicide by acute alcohol poisoning and drug overdose |
| Deaths | 1 |
On December 24, 2015, Alan, a 17 year old transgender man who resided in Rubí, Spain, took his own life. He was one of the first minors in Spain to successfully change his name on government documents to align with his gender identity.[1]
Context
[edit]In 2015, Law 11/2014 was passed in Catalonia to protect the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people. The law includes provisions that allow for criminal charges for violence based on sexual orientation or gender identity in education.
Two of the articles in Law 11/2014 are the following:
- Respect for diversity regarding sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression, and for the principles of this law, must be effective throughout the education system, in training centers and institutions, in adult education, in parenting training, in school sports and activities, and in children's and youth leisure activities.
- Awareness-raising and prevention of violence based on sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression must be ensured, and mechanisms must be provided for schools to detect situations of discrimination or exclusion against any individual for these reasons. In this regard, the effective development of coexistence plans must be promoted, with a special emphasis on measures to prevent and address the harassment that LGBTQ individuals may face in schools.[2]
As of October 2015, the law had not yet been implemented.[3]
Alan
[edit]Alan was born in October 1998. His mother reported following his death that he had often been bullied at school, being exacerbated after the death of his cousin.[4] On December 24, 2013, exactly two years before his death, he was admitted to a hospital for severe depression, spending most of 2014 in between there and a day centre.
Suicide
[edit]Alan had been at a day centre and generally felt safe there. He had been scheduled for an appointment on December 24. Early on December 25, he spoke with his psychologist, who relayed the situation to his parents. That afternoon, he took pills that were not his and drank alcohol, causing him to enter cardiac arrest.
The day following his death, his mother reported to the Chrysallis Association of Families of Transgender Minors, the support group they joined a month beforehand, his death.[4]
Reactions and investigation
[edit]Alan's suicide was reported in multiple Spanish news outlets.[5] Following his death, protests took place across Spain, though namely in Catalonia, against transphobia. A common manifesto throughout the protests was "It's not suicide, it's a social murder!"[6]
In Rubí, where he resided, a rally took place in honor of Alan and had over 1,000 attendees.[7] The Platform of People Affected by Bullying, "Alanmón", was named after Alan in Rubí following the rally.[8] Another demonstration took place in Barcelona following his death demanding the full implementation of Law 11/2014.[9]
Local LGBTQ+ organizations in Catalonia also demanded the implementation of Law 11/2014 and some form of response for Alan's death.[10][11] Rafael Ribó, a Catalan ombudsman, ordered an investigation into the incident.[12]
References
[edit]- ^ "El registro civil cambia el nombre a dos menores transexuales catalanes". NorfiPC (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2019-09-08. Retrieved 2025-06-03.
- ^ "Noticias Juridicas". Noticias Juridicas (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2024-10-02. Retrieved 2025-06-03.
- ^ Víctor (2015-10-14). "El colectivo gay denuncia que no se aplica la ley antihomofobia por 'falta de voluntad política'". www.elperiodico.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-06-03.
- ^ a b ""Acosaron a Alan desde los 14 años, su suicidio es un crimen social"". ELMUNDO (in Spanish). 2015-12-30. Retrieved 2025-06-03.
- ^ "Alan: el derecho a elegir tu identidad | Periódico Diagonal". www.diagonalperiodico.net. Retrieved 2025-06-03.
- ^ Sust, Toni (2015-12-27). "'Lo de Alan no es un suicidio, es un asesinato social'". www.elperiodico.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-06-03.
- ^ "Més d'un miler de rubinencs surt al carrer per recordar l'Alan i rebutjar l'assetjament escolar - Societat - Rubí TV". RubiTV (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2016-08-20. Retrieved 2025-06-03.
- ^ "La Plataforma d'Afectats pel Bullying gaudeix d'una gran acollida en la seva presentació - Societat - Rubí TV". RubiTV (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2016-09-26. Retrieved 2025-06-03.
- ^ Flick (2016-01-29). "Barcelona: una concentración en recuerdo de Alan reclama el despliegue efectivo de la ley catalana contra la LGTBIfobia | dosmanzanas - La web de noticias LGTB" (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-06-03.
- ^ "La plataforma LGTBI de Cataluña exige responsabilidades políticas por la muerte de Alan". Diario ABC (in Spanish). 2015-12-29. Retrieved 2025-06-03.
- ^ Sust, Toni (2015-12-27). "Petición al Síndic para que investigue el acoso que empujó a Alan al suicidio". www.elperiodico.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-06-03.
- ^ Global, Crónica. "El Síndic de Greuges inicia una investigación tras la muerte de Alan". Crónica global (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2016-06-17. Retrieved 2025-06-03.