Celebrating the Life of Henry Berg-Brousseau

Trans activist Henry Berg-Brousseau died from suicide on December 17, 2022. He was 24 years old.

As early as 2015, Berg-Brousseau was fighting for trans rights. He testified against an early Kentucky bill that would have banned trans youth from using the proper restroom as a teenager, “far earlier than he should have had to,” as the Human Rights Campaign said. In 2016, he was one of three plaintiffs in a lawsuit filed against Donald Trump and two of his white nationalist supporters.

After graduating from George Washington University at 21 with a double major in political science and history, and a minor in Jewish studies, he went on to work for the Human Rights Campaign and was later promoted to Press Secretary.

Berg-Brousseau’s mother, Kentucky Senator Dr. Karen Berg, released a statement explaining that the transphobic hate that he was exposed to daily was weighing on him. He struggled with mental illness, “not because he was trans but born of his difficulty finding acceptance.”

Trans youth are more than four times as likely to commit suicide than their peers, and more than half of all trans and nonbinary youth have seriously considered suicide, according to The Trevor Project’s 2022 National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health. The narrative around trans youth–and all trans people–needs to change drastically.

Berg-Brousseau accomplished much in his short life, and his loss has left a hole in the lives of his loved ones. He will be dearly missed.

If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or are concerned that someone you know may be, resources are available to help.

The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 is for people of all ages and identities.

Trans Lifeline is designed for trans or gender-nonconforming people. It also provides resources for domestic violence situations. They can be reached at (877) 565-8860. 

The Trevor Project Lifeline, for LGBTQ+ youth aged 24 and younger, can be reached at (866) 488-7386. Users can also access chat services at TheTrevorProject.org/Help or text START to 678678.