A devastated mother holds a gang of nasty classmates accountable for the unrelenting bullying that pushed her transgender child to commit s**cide.
Nova Dunn, 14, died when she fell from the I-93 bridge in Manchester, New Hampshire, on May 17, 2023.
Young Nova’s mental health was gravely affected when students began writing nasty things about her on the bathroom walls Credit: WMUR
Since the start of the epidemic, Nova has struggled with mental health issues. Melissa Dunn, his mother, claims he had lately come out as transgender and had been hospitalized at three separate mental health institutions all throughout New England.
Melissa never expected such a terrible result from her child’s battle with depression. She is still struggling with the loss two years later, even now, yet she takes some comfort in the knowledge that Nova, who identified with he/him pronouns, is now at peace.
She told WMUR, “People often say, ‘I’m so sorry.'” after hearing her story. “But don’t apologize.” Free from bullying, my child is in a better environment than this one.”
Although knowing that Nova has found peace comforts Melissa, the loss of him nevertheless causes her suffering. If you know what I mean, “it still hurts.”
Born female, Nova started his journey in middle school, which tragically made his bullying more intense. Further compromising his already delicate mental state, some students scribbled nasty notes about him on toilet walls.
“We went through three different mental hospitals: one in New Hampshire, one in Massachusetts, and the last one in Vermont,” Melissa said.
She is convinced that Nova’s choice to take his life was influenced in major part by the transphobia displayed by other classmates.
The Trevor Project claims that among youth aged 10 to 14, s**cide ranks second most-often occurring cause of de@th; among those aged 15 to 24, it ranks third. Four times more likely than their straight peers, LGBTQ+ young people shockingly run a far higher risk of s**cide. About 2 million LGBTQ+ teens and young adults in the US think about committing s**cide every year, between the ages of 13 and 24.
The head of the National Alliance on Mental Illness-New Hampshire, Susan Sterns, told WMUR that living with that much worry, anxiety, and fear is hard. She pointed out that although bullying might not be the only factor causing such tragedies, it can surely add to already complicated conditions.
Melissa exhorts parents to closely monitor their children and ensure they feel loved and encouraged. “That’s all you can do,” she added. Every person is different.
Remembering her dear Nova, she exhorts others to show compassion and kindness. Nova would have wanted, she said, “that’s what.”
This moving narrative reminds us strongly of the need to encourage understanding and acceptance in our society to stop such tragedies from happening in the next years.