Gay California teen Eric James Borges commits suicide, weeks after posting an It Gets Better video
This is Eric James Borges. He posted this It Gets Better video last month. Yesterday, he committed suicide. Eric, 19, was an intern with the Trevor Project, a suicide prevention organization for LGBT youth.
Jim Reeves, Vice President of Queer Landia, had met Eric personally. He reports about his suicide:
Word began spreading late Wednesday among shocked and saddened friends and acquaintances. Not accepted by his birth family, EricJames was striking out on his own, trying to deal with his personal situation, but also wanting to help others. Sadly, even involvement with the Trevor Project was not enough to help him navigate the turbulent waters of young adulthood.
Update: Stephnie Davison, a classmate and good friend of Eric’s responded to this blog post by sharing a bit about Eric:
He was an amazing person who was bullied throughout his entire life. He was beaten at home for being gay and kicked out multiple times. His mother never approved of him being himself. When he tried to be Eric, he couldn’t. He was an artist, a friend, a boyfriend, and a truly amazing individual. EricJames Borges will always be remembered and he was my friend.
[…]
His mother disowned him, and refuses to talk to him. I’m not sure that she knows he even committed suicide tbh.
Posted by Dan Leveille on January 12th, 2012 at 3:29pm
