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page "Even if I got better in my head, I would never want to continue on in a world like this." A month prior, he posted "I'm waiting on the moment when me and my darkness split from my body." One week before his death, he posted "being in my head is like being a quarterback playing against an entire
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student. His family was not supportive of his decision to transition, wondering why he would want to draw more attention to himself as a black youth. As a result, Brockington chose to live with a foster family during his transition. He chose the name Blake after it came to him in a dream and because
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In 2018 the LGBTQ community archive project was officially named the "King-Henry-Brockington
Community archive" to carry on the legacy of Blake's impact on the local Charlotte Community. Josh Burford, who had worked with Blake, decided to include Blake's name as a permanent reminder of the work of
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Many have noted that what happened to
Brockington fits a dangerous pattern of harmful behavior toward transgender youth – who often face disproportionate amounts of bullying, harassment, discrimination, and violence. Josh Burford, assistant director for sexual and gender diversity at UNC Charlotte,
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to attend the service and remarked, "This is a loss for you all and a loss for our movement and our world. ... All of us were incredibly touched and incredibly sad. ... This is something touching all us, everywhere." Campus Pride's executive director, Shane
Windmeyer, remarked at the service, "Days
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who had worked with
Brockington on the exhibit at the Levine Museum, told the press "What happened to Blake is part of a systemic problem, especially for trans students of color. He didn't quit. He didn't give up. ... He's a victim of what happens every single day to these kids."
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like today, the weeks recently, it hurts more and more. ... It is a tragic reminder of our duty as individuals to do more, to try better in changing lives and saving lives." Brockington's partner, Flo Ethier, read what was
Brockington's favorite biblical passage,
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service in
Charlotte. In December 2014 at Charlotte's Independence Square, he organized a protest against police brutality against black people. He was involved with setting up an exhibit, "Publicly Identified: Coming Out Activist in the Queen City", at the
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Prior to his death, Brockington had indicated that he had experienced years of depression and destructive behavior, such as self-harming. He also indicated that he had previously had suicidal thoughts. Two months prior to his death, he posted on his
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152:. He later indicated the process had been tough on him, saying, "That was single-handedly the hardest part of my trans journey. Really hateful things were said on the Internet. It was hard. I saw how narrow-minded the world really is."
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In 2014, Brockington received national attention for being the first openly transgender high school homecoming king in North
Carolina after collecting the most money for East Mecklenburg High School's chosen charity ($ 2,555.55),
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178:, majoring in music education. At the time of his death, he was on medical leave and not attending classes. He stated that his plans were to become a band director and composer.
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Three dozen members of the
Charlotte community attended a memorial service for Brockington held on March 29, 2015, at Sacred Souls Community Church. Rodney McKenzie, the
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He was active in the faith community, and participated in the Trans Faith and Action
Network Conference held in Charlotte in August 2014.
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In his obituary, Brockington's family, still unaccepting of his transgender identity, used she/her pronouns and referred to him by his
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whose suicide attracted international attention. He had previously received attention as the first openly transgender high school
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students, "BrocKINGton", about his experience being bullied because he was transgender, and being hospitalized for self-harming.
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After his election as homecoming king, he began publicly advocating for transgender and LGBT youth issues. He spoke at the 2014
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in July 2014. Brockington was also mentoring transgender youth. He spoke in an 8-minute documentary made in 2014 by three
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On March 24, 2015, the day after
Brockington's death, about 100 people came to the North Davidson Street headquarters of
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near Pavilion Boulevard in Charlotte. The incident was considered a suicide and was similar in nature to the suicides of
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Brockington died on March 23, 2015, after being struck by several vehicles on the outer loop of
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Brockington, who was assigned female at birth, came out publicly as transgender while attending
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he liked how masculine it sounded. He was taking testosterone, which was covered by
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defensive line." Finally, on the day of his death, he posted "I am so exhausted."
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He spent two years as a drum major for East Mecklenburg High School's band.
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438:"Transgender activist & homecoming king tragically commits suicide"
372:"Transgender Activist & Homecoming King Tragically Commits Suicide"
521:"Trans Teen Activist, Former Homecoming King, Dies in Charlotte, N.C."
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407:"Transgender people in Charlotte struggle to find tolerance"
558:"Memorial remembers a 'larger than life' Blake Brockington"
496:"Charlotte-area transgender teens' suicides rock community"
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Other memorial services were held in cities such as
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93:(May 14, 1996 – March 23, 2015) was an American
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436:Young, Danielle (March 30, 2015).
370:Young, Danielle (March 31, 2015).
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680:21st-century American LGBT people
494:Garloch, Karen (March 28, 2015).
405:Lezin, Katya (January 5, 2015).
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210:Brockington was laid to rest in
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141:once he was able to afford it.
556:Comer, Matt (March 30, 2015).
162:Levine Museum of the New South
157:Transgender Day of Remembrance
117:. He moved from Charleston to
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293:List of LGBT-related suicides
685:21st-century American people
670:African-American LGBT people
650:Transgender-related suicides
174:Brockington was enrolled at
126:East Mecklenburg High School
150:Mothering Across Continents
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640:Suicides in North Carolina
298:List of transgender people
115:Charleston, South Carolina
54:Charleston, South Carolina
248:National LGBTQ Task Force
237:Southerners On New Ground
119:Charlotte, North Carolina
73:Charlotte, North Carolina
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660:American transgender men
655:American child activists
288:Suicide among LGBT youth
212:Ravenel, South Carolina
635:2015 in North Carolina
500:The Charlotte Observer
442:New Pittsburgh Courier
411:The Charlotte Observer
241:Durham, North Carolina
278:this young activist.
243:, on March 28, 2015.
630:2015 in LGBT history
81:Cause of death
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268:Minneapolis
201:Ash Haffner
130:tenth grade
609:Categories
350:References
139:mastectomy
46:1996-05-14
95:trans man
593:April 2,
567:April 2,
505:April 2,
452:April 2,
416:April 2,
381:April 2,
376:News One
282:See also
224:deadname
218:Reaction
135:Medicaid
530:May 28,
305:Portals
589:. 2014
562:QNotes
189:Tumblr
75:, U.S.
56:, U.S.
587:Vimeo
343:LGBTQ
182:Death
128:as a
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
