This post discusses suicide, and may be triggering for some readers.
The family of Wilson Gavin, the head of the University of Queensland’s Liberal National Club, have released a statement following his death.
Gavin, who was at the centre of a protest at a Drag Queen Storytime event in Brisbane over the weekend, passed away on Monday.
You can read the official statement from the family of Wilson Gavin below:
To everyone who knew our son and brother and shared their stories of who Wilson Gavin really was – we thank you.
To those who have described Wilson as “a deeply troubled young man”, including so-called family members – with all due respect – you never knew him.
To anyone who is or was angry with Wilson – we know he regularly got the “how” wrong and occasionally got the “what” wrong. This made us angry with him too.
To the LGBTIQA+ communities and Rainbow Families Queensland – we love and support you.
To young, politically motivated people of all persuasions – we implore you to seek kind and wise mentors who will guide you, and not use you or wash their hands of you when you no longer serve their purposes.
To those who are now regretting words said or typed in anger that may have contributed to another person’s suffering – we know and share your pain all too well.
To the police and emergency services personnel who have treated us with such dignity and compassion, and work with this type of trauma far too often – you have our deepest respect and gratitude.
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His parents are in denial and trying to whitewash reality. Firstly, a gay man who voted against same sex marriage (that's the same as an African American voting against dismantling Jim Crow laws), and who then screams in drag queen's faces, to say he wasn't troubled in himself is absolutely delusional. No one takes their own life like that, not least of all an outwardly confident, and self-assured person who is a group/club leader with political goals. To say he just decided to take his own life because a YT clip was released and he got some heat from it is absurd. His parents are grieving now and in time I think, will see that he had been troubled for some time. Right now, it hurts too much for them to face the whys and for how longs.
I think the jab at 'washed their hands of' was aimed at Sen Trevor Evans. As a gay man who voted Yes in the plebiscite, and on the floor of parliament to suggest that Evans should have shut up and not called out the behaviour is transferring blame. And I think, pretty low of his parents to do, considering Evans could as easily say he was used and no loyalty was shown to him, when Wilson advocated No.
With respect, I don't know that the public are in a position to make assumptions about him. I wouldn't say that a gay person has to support same sex marriage or be supportive of drag queens or else they are troubled. People are complex beings who can hold seemingly contradictory views about things without necessarily being troubled. I know people from "minority" races that are racist and I know migrants who are anti-immigration. But I wouldn't say that they were "troubled". But that's just my view, and you are of course equally entitled to yours.
I have to agree, there really wasn’t enough turn around time for his death to be a reaction to the backlash. You’d be more in shock than anything else for the first few days- there’s no chance he went from ‘perfectly okay’ to suicidal within two says.
I thought this was a beautiful, compassionate, nuanced statement from a family that is obviously going through hell right now.