Kerala's first trans man bodybuilder Praveen Nath, who was also awarded the Mr Kerala title in 2021, died by suicide on Thursday, 4 May. He was undergoing treatment at the Thrissur Medical College Hospital after he tried to take his life, when he passed away.
The big point:
Praveen's death comes three months after he married trans woman Rishana Aishu on 14 February. She is a model and the winner of the Miss Malabar paegent.
He had reportedly put a Facebook post announcing his separation and deleted it within an hour.
What was said:
“We live together. I put a post saying so and it was deleted within an hour. (I had to write that in a particular situation, it's very personal) I don't know what there is to celebrate. Do not spread the news that we have broken up, do let us live a good life Have Malayalam news pages degraded so much?” he later wrote on 1 May, reported The News Minute.
Speaking to Manorama Online, a day after his post, Praveen said:
“The comments below the news stories were too much. It affected our mental health. I was on the verge of suicide due to many other reasons. On top of it, this news was unbearable. Everyone is happy to highlight problems within the trans community.”
'Kerala Lost a Vocal Trans Activist'
A native of Palakkad, Praveen was actively involved in the Thrissur-based LGBTQIA+ organisation Sahayathrika. Several people took to Twitter to offer condolences over his death.
He had won gold in the state bodybuilding competition of 2021 in the trans persons category and was awarded the Mr Kerala title.
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