hi my name is Chase Ross and I'm a
transgender man today we're going to be
talking about something serious if
you've seen my videos before you would
know that when I make serious videos I
like to laugh a little I like to make
some jokes just so that it doesn't make
it super serious and the end of the
world but um today is a very serious
topic that I need to be serious about
because it affects me a lot
and not a lot of people talk about it so
I'm going to talk about the trans youth
suicide rate and the amount of trans
kids that are killing themselves I
wanted to make this video a while ago
cuz a friend of mine made a video like
this and I thought that the message was
really interesting but the reason why I
decided to make this video now is
because yesterday I watched Caitlyn
Jenner speech um at the EPS where she uh
received an award a courage award um I'm
going to say that that speech was the
best speech that I I honestly I did not
I did not expect it I did not expect her
to talk about how many trans women of
color are being murdered and the high
suicide rates I did not expect this and
I'm so glad that she's taking the
platform that she has and the privilege
that she has in the media and actually
talking about the real stuff that goes
on in this community and I really think
that that is something that's going to
advance us and I thought because during
the the the speech she she said that we
just deserve respect um that she can
handle being called names being called
liar and stuff like that but for the
trans kids uh that are just realizing
that they're trans they shouldn't have
to be a they shouldn't have to deal with
it or learn how to deal with criticisms
like that and that's something that
really struck with me because that's
something that I deal with so much I've
learned to deal with so much hate and
it's almost like I I don't want to
handle it anymore so what I decided to
do was look at some articles online and
I you're not supposed to read the
comments never read the comments but I
thought oh my God you know someone is
literally on TV right now saying we just
deserve respect like whatever you don't
have to accept it just respect we're
human beings just like you are um what I
found was horrible and I don't let
comments affect me ever I I can't but
for some reason these comments just are
staying with me and that's the reason
why I'm making a video because I need to
let it out and these comments are
actually worse than the comments from
when she came out and I just I can't
believe that this is still happening and
it's even worse now um so this relates
to trans kids because I'm feeling
suicidal and that's not cool at all um I
have gone through depression um in the
past and still now but it's not trans
related and I haven't had such bad trans
social dysphoria or me just bad feelings
about me being Trans in a oh my I can't
even remember when um cuz I've been able
to accept myself accept Society I
understand that Society isn't always
cool but I feel like now I've really
realized that people want us dead and
people don't care if we're alive or not
and it hurts and honestly I spent like 5
hours crying and that's why I want to
make a video because it's really
sensitive topic but it's also really
important because I want to talk about
how I'm going to try to overcome this so
the reason why I'm bringing up trans
youth suicides is because I believe in
one study um over 50% of trans youth um
will attempt suicide at least at least
once before they're
20 please let that tick in please try to
just understand what that means 50% of
trans youth attempt suicide at least
once before they're 20 are you kidding
me
that's you don't even have time to to I
think that you don't even have time to
finish college or university at that
point like it's just insane and
I I want to talk about the like sense
sens s
sens that word sense that's a word that
I actually can't say but um basically
the media every time a trans kid dies
every time a trans kid commits suicide
um the
media brings it out shows it and then it
dies down but especially with Leela
alorn when she killed herself her
suicide note said uh make my death mean
something and that is something that I
that that's just it
doesn't I want people to not think that
their death is going to mean something I
feel like trans people who are younger
feel like they can change the world only
if they die what kind of sick world do
we live in where people have to think
like that just to think that they can
change some people's minds they have to
die like we need to change that I want
my death to mean something to I want my
life to mean something change the world
while you're alive so that you can get
to see the change that you did you can
do really small things you can make
videos you can post them on YouTube you
can talk about um Trends issues on
Facebook you can contact the media and
get your story out there you can write
books scripts uh you can do research you
there's so many different things that we
can do that some people might feel like
they're not contributing to the cause
but you are everything that you do to
put yourself out there you're helping at
if at least one person sees your
information and you're able to change
their mind in understanding that trans
people deserve respect you accomplished
what you accomplished you accomplished
it you helped
someone it just bothers me so much that
we live in a world where so many people
and not just trans kids um believe that
the only way to change the way that your
family views you your friends the people
around you view you is to die like it
just how how can we live in a world
where that's okay and how can we live in
a the world where that's happening and
no one's really doing anything about it
afterwards they're just showing all
these trans suicides and then it dies
down and then someone talks about
something else of course there's news
things have to talk about but then it
lingers I mean Leela alorn um her story
still kind of lingers people still talk
about it it's in some speeches here and
there um which is great it's still being
talked about uh because it is a tragic
story all trans suicide are tragic
stories like it's just insane um but
because it's still lingering um I mean
it's still lingering but people aren't
really talking about it they're like oh
yeah that happened in December like
whatever and then another trans suicide
happens like oh yeah that happened and
kind of like Leela alorn like it's still
there but I don't feel like
people really understand that you can
stop it we don't have to wait for
another trans suicide to happen we we
can actually find ways to stop it we can
start accepting each other we can start
telling these trans kids you don't need
to die to change the world you don't
need to die to get somebody to accept
you you need to live to prove them wrong
you need to do what you are meant to do
in this world and if you want to help
people go ahead if you want to be
stealth and trans and not let anybody
know that you're trans and not tell
anybody that's completely fine too you
don't have to be a huge advocate and
talk about trans issues like I am um or
like Caitlyn Jenner or leverne Cox you
don't have to do that um there are
different ways that you can still help
the community and it
it it just it gets me I I Feel It In me
it's scary because even me at 24 years
old because of all these comments it's
like non-stop non-stop hatred for years
and I feel like I want to die like it's
not cool and and I've been dealing with
this for years I've found coping
mechanisms to do it I've done so much
I've laughed about it but now it seems
to get to a point where it's just too
much because you read comments where
people are literally like I want you to
kill yourself it's just you know that
we're human also right like what are you
going to do when we actually kill
ourselves like are you going to feel
great about yourself like it's not fair
we are humans we need we just we deserve
respect that's all that's all I just
want just respect me you don't have to
agree that trans people exist or that TR
you don't have to ex you don't have to
you don't have to accept me but you
should respect me because I'm a human
you shouldn't have tell me in comments
or in real life or scream things at me
across the road and say the t- word and
just disrespect me like that it's just
it's ridiculous like if me right now I
feel like dying can you just imagine a
trans kid right now 14-year-old who just
realize that they're trans they're like
oh my God Caitlyn Jenner I came out
because of you it's great and then they
read the comments oh my God I can't oh
my God no no we need to stop this I
don't want trans kids to keep killing
themselves because they think that
killing themselves are going to stop
these comments we need to find a way to
get these trans kids to understand that
your life has meaning and you can
actually change the world while you're
alive and you can see that change
imagine seeing that change I've been
able to see people change their minds by
giving them links to my videos and it's
just so it's such a great and powerful
feeling to have to see that other people
are understanding a little bit what it's
like to be in your shoes and you can't
you can't you you'll never be able to
see that or feel that if you're not
alive so let's stay alive let's find
ways to accept each other
let's stop dying please let's it's just
it's insane the the rate the suicide
rate is is higher amongst trans youth
than any other population
combined it's just why it's not fair
it's not fair and we need to change this
I'm done this video I'm sorry if it was
ranty um I just would like people to
understand that
even especially trans kids even during
the hardest times of my transition I was
able to overcome it because I was able
to see in the future I'll be able to
transition in the future I will be able
um to help people understand what it's
like to be trans and I I'm here so now I
know that I'm feeling really horrible
because of all these comments but making
this video and sharing it is allowing me
that coping mechanism where I can handle
these comments and I can cope with
it anyways I hope that this video was a
bit helpful I'm sorry if it was a bit
ranty um I'm just I'm scared it sucks
that it's almost like suicide is still a
possibility but it's like why why why is
that even a thing why are those words
even put together we shouldn't have any
hate as much as we have sure people can
like hate us whatever like you're a
person whatever sure do whatever you
want but like come on don't tell me to
kill myself are you kidding me these
kids are just dying I I I can't it's
it's it's tragic and it's just it's like
no one is seeing it and it's like I I am
so happy that Caitlyn Jenner talked
about it and talked about trans women of
color being murdered because that's also
a huge problem in this world and in this
Society what kind of society do we live
in where this keeps happening and nobody
cares I just anyways that's all I have
to say um I hope you have a great week
and feel free to share this as much as
you'd like um it would be great if a lot
of people watched it um and gave me
their opinions and their thoughts cuz
talking about this really helped me and
um yeah let's go from there all right
have a great week