Campaigner: ‘One death is too many’
JORDAN Daly, co-founder of the Time For Inclusive Education (TIE) campaign, said Chloe’s death is one too many and is demanding urgent action from the Government to stop more people from selfharming or taking their own lives.
The campaign is calling for education specifically about LGBTI issues to be taught in schools, to reduce homophobic bullying.
He said: “Eight years ago, I came close to a suicide attempt. It would not have taken much to push me over the edge. There are many aspects to Chloe Orr’s experience that mirror mine – I, too, found myself desperately trying to navigate my way through a labyrinth of self-discovery. I lived under a shadow of self-hatred and I repeatedly lost my way. The more I felt suffocated within myself, the more a permanent solution felt like the only way that I would find peace.
“It’s never easy to fully articulate what that period was like, yet I can still feel it. I’ve been left with scars. But I’m breathing and my heart beats – I’m still here. I survived myself – but Chloe didn’t, and the truth is that there are too many young people who have induced their own ending long before it was due. Why? Because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
“That we are in the midst of a social epidemic is not a rhetorical metaphor – it’s a reality. LGBTI young people are self-harming, they are killing themselves, they are suffering from mental health problems and, so far, there have been no real steps taken to rectify this.
“With TIE, we have been campaigning for an LGBTI inclusive education system because we believe that if we can tell young people from an early age that it’s perfectly natural to be LGBTI, then we can avoid the issues that so many face later in life.
“Kelly Moorhead believes that if her daughter was supported at school, then she may still be here. The question is simple – how many more young people have to die before we buckle up and tackle these issues? Because this article should never have had to be printed and Chloe should still be here. Our Government has been quick to support our campaign, but now it’s time for action and not just words.”