A 14-year-old schoolboy has been found dead just weeks after he released a video revealing he was gay and that he had been bullied for being gay.
Liam McAlpine from Fife in Scotland was found dead at his home on Sunday afternoon. He was just 14. Before his death he had recorded and published a number of videos on YouTube about being gay and the bullying he had been a victim of.
In his first video, Liam spoke about coming out and speculated that he would be ridiculed for being gay from some of his classmates.
In his coming out video he said,
“For three years I have been gay, go ahead and judge me, I don’t care… My true friends will stick by me, fake friends, will just f**k off and leave me behind… That’s who I am, I’m proud to be gay”.
In a second video entitled “Bullying” he gave a heartbreaking speech urging those who are bullied to reach out to “someone who could help you… friends, teachers – someone who can help you through the situation, even a police officer”.
He said, “You don’t go to school to get bullied everyday. You go to learn. School is meant to be a safe place but getting bullied everyday and picked on, is that really safe?”
Liam was publishing videos as recently as last week.
The Daily Record is suggesting that there is wide-spread speculation that he took his own life. The police are treating his death as “unexplained”.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said,
“Police in Fife are investigating following the death of a 14-year-old boy at an address in Elgin Drive, Glenrothes .
“The incident was reported to police around 3.40pm on Sunday, March 5.
“The death is currently being treated as unexplained and enquiries are ongoing.
“A report has been sent to the Procurator Fiscal.”
If you are affected by this story or you’d like to talk to someone please call Switchboard on 0330 330 0630 or Samaritans on 116 123.
