A veteran hanged himself while draped in a Trans Pride flag
by Curated February 8, 2025 · Gay News / Gay Pride / Gay Rights / LGBTQ Nation
Author: John Russell
A person who died by suicide near the campuses of the Syracuse VA Medical Center and Syracuse University in upstate New York was reportedly wrapped in a Trans Pride flag.
On Monday, January 27, both a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) spokesperson and the Syracuse University Department of Public Safety confirmed that the person’s body was found that morning at a parking garage near the medical center. According to the VA’s notification, the person hanged themself by jumping from the parking garage, Syracuse.com reported.
Stay connected to your community
Connect with the issues and events that impact your community at home and beyond by subscribing to our newsletter.
Anne C. Bellows, a professor of food studies at Syracuse University, was among the witnesses who saw the person’s body on the morning of January 27. Bellows told Syracuse.com that she recognized the pink, blue, and white fabric in which their body was wrapped as the Trans Pride flag.
A statement from the VA said the department would not release further details about the veteran, citing an ongoing investigation and respect for their family.
While the circumstances around the veteran’s suicide are unknown, it happened against the backdrop of the Trump administration’s ongoing attack on transgender rights. On January 20, Inauguration Day, President Donald Trump signed an executive order stating that the U.S. would only recognize “two sexes, male and female” and instructed government agencies to only issue new documents, like passports and visas, that reflect a person’s sex assigned at birth. It also ended all federal funding of “gender ideology,” the right-wing characterization of the concept that a person’s gender identity is separate from their biological sex.
During his campaign, Trump promised to ban transgender people from serving in the U.S. military, as he did during his first term. (The order was later rescinded by former President Joe Biden in 2021.) On January 28, Trump did just that via an executive order that is expected to affect an estimated 8,000 to 15,000 trans servicemembers at a time when the military is experiencing a recruitment shortage.
The following day, the president signed an executive order banning federal funding of gender-affirming care for people under the age of 19. The order instructs the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to restrict Medicare, Medicaid, Tricare — the federal health insurance program for active duty service members and their families — and other federal employee health insurance plans from covering such care, which has long been accepted by all major American medical associations as evidence-based, safe, and effective for the treatment of gender dysphoria.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org. The Trans Lifeline (1-877-565-8860) is staffed by trans people and will not contact law enforcement. The Trevor Project provides a safe, judgement-free place to talk for youth via chat, text (678-678), or phone (1-866-488-7386). Help is available at all three resources in English and Spanish.
Subscribe to the LGBTQ Nation newsletter and be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.
Don’t forget to share:
Actual Story on LGBTQ Nation
Author: John Russell
