The parents of the 15-year-old suicide: 'It's not the kids' fault'

We can't blame 15 year old kids, they're not to blame. I don't want to blame anyone. However, many times parents can educate their children to treat others with respect, even if we don't like them. These are the words of the mother of the 15-year-old who killed himself on Wednesday by letting himself fall from the fifth floor of an apartment building in Rome, in the northern area of ​​the city.

His parents said he had been bullied at school since he was 12 and had recently changed classes. Live on the program 'Dentro la notizia' on Canale5, they said that he suffered a lot from depression, and that they supported him in every way, even with drugs and hospitalizations. The Rome prosecutor's office is investigating unknown persons for incitement to suicide.

I still feel like calling her by her female name, but we talked about it and have always accepted her choice. His school friends, however, didn't, his mother said. The parents say that they have always supported the transition path that the boy had undertaken, after making sure that he understood the consequences of his choice. I was the one who first understood the change in my daughter, said the father, sometimes addressing him in the feminine form. He said to me: 'didn't you notice anything?'. I know you feel like a boy, I replied. And it doesn't bother you? No, my son, I said. Now I don't have it anymore, he said, his voice breaking with tears. The night before she was dumped by her boyfriend. I heard her cry. He was asking for help and we did everything we could. But having depression at 13 or 15 is too much. The next morning I thought he was asleep, Mom continued. He was a beautiful person, and had a heart of gold - said the woman - He played music, sang, played chess and spoke three languages. He wanted to become a psychologist, to help people who suffered like him.

A tragedy that forces us to face reality. In Italy, transgender people are increasingly exposed to stigma and discrimination, said Alessandro Zan, MEP and head of Rights of the Democratic Party, who speaks of a climate of hatred also resulting from political choices. For the current guarantor of childhood, transgender minors do not exist, the Minister for Equal Opportunities has publicly denied the legitimacy of the identities of trans people and together with the Minister for Health has presented a bill that introduces new obstacles to the paths of gender affirmation, Zan specified, adding: the Minister of Education places limits on talking about gender in school, which is fundamental for education to respect identities. This is the climate we need to change.