Victorian Inquest To Examine Five Trans And Gender-Diverse Deaths

Victorian coroners have received orders to investigate the apparent suicides of 5 trans and gender-diverse people, with the inquest aiming to provide new recommendations to prevent further deaths. 

Trigger Warning: This story discusses suicide, which might be distressing to some readers. For 24-hour crisis support and suicide prevention call Lifeline on 13 11 14. For Australia-wide LGBTQI peer support call QLife on 1800 184 527 or webchat.

In documents obtained by The Guardian, 5 trans and gender-diverse people and their deaths will be apart of an inquest in late November. Whilst individuals were unrelated to each other, they will be investigated together.

The potential recommendations from coroner investigations, will hopefully provide strategies to prevent further suicides and deaths amongst trans and gender-diverse people. 

Leading Case of Bridget Flack

The five people who had died were born between 1987 and 2001. All of the individuals were also receiving gender-affirming care prior to their passing. 

One of the cases to be investigated involves Bridget Flack, a 28-year-old trans woman whose body was found in Kew bushland. 

Flack went missing on the morning of November 30, 2020. She was last seen by their friend on Lagoon Street in Carlton, who said they were planning to walk along the Yarra Bend Park. 

Despite numerous calls made by friends and family during their time away, Flack never returned home. There was a missing-person search of over 100 people, before a body was found in Kew bushland later on by a member of the public. The body was later identified as Flack.

Speaking to Star Observer at the time, Flack’s sister Angela Pucci Love said, “Bridget is so loved by her family and we support her so much, there are no issues about her not being accepted by her family.”

“I think she has had such a hard year and I’m pretty certain COVID has cemented her struggles this year, as it has done with a lot of people. I think she has just reached a tipping point. We were happy she had said that she recognised she needed more help, it’s just a shame with the way the system is, it’s taken so long,” Love explained.

Flack was known for her artistic talents, especially within electronic and dance music. She was also recognised for her LGBTQI advocacy work throughout the local community.

Chosen Names Will Be Used 

Attached to documents regarding the inquest, Victorian coroner Ingrid Giles has ordered the inquest to use each individual’s chosen name that is aligned with their gender identity.

“In order to assist the court in referring to the deceased persons in a respectful and culturally appropriate manner in these proceedings, the loved ones of the deceased were consulted in relation to the names that were in use by the deceased prior to passing, and which had been chosen by the deceased to correspond with their gender identity,” said the order. 

“I have determined it appropriate to refer in this proceeding to each deceased by what the evidence supports as their chosen name, even where this had not been legally changed.”

Chosen names will be upheld in for all individual cases, except for one which will use the pseudonym of “AS” as requested.

The inquest’s aim to assist in new suicide prevention strategies comes at a poignant time, with the higher rates of LGBTQI youth considering suicide. 

These rates were especially high amongst trans and non-binary individuals, with a recent Trevor Project report noting “nearly 1 in 5 transgender and non-binary young people” having attempted suicide in the past year.

Three days have been set aside for the upcoming inquest in November, with a directions hearing expected to be held on October 13.