Death by Twitter

The Star Observer reports:

The president of the University of Queensland branch of the Liberal National Club (UQLNC), Wilson Gavin, who led a protest yesterday against a Drag Queen story reading, has died by suicide. 

Gavin was found dead at Chelmer Railway Station this morning at 7:07am. Ambulance officers who attended say he died from critical injuries, but have provided no further details.

Gavin and a group of protesters from the UQ LNC interrupted a Drag Queen Story Time event yesterday morning in a Brisbane Library. Video of the incident went viral. (See our earlier story)

He also caused controversy when he opposed Same Sex Marriage in 2017. The then 19-year old openly gay Gavin led a “You Can Say No” rally and appeared on national television. 

I thought the protest against the drag queens was very ill judged. You don’t disrupt an event with children present (whose families had decided to attend) as part of a political protest. It was quite legitimate to criticise the actions of those who took part, including Gavin.

But that backlash on social media from some was basically a virtual lynch mob, with many saying Wilson Gavin was homophobic etc, probably unaware he was openly gay himself. They called for his ostracism.

And he killed himself.

It should serve as a reminder (as should Charlotte Dawson) that social media pile ons occur to actual real people who have different levels of mental health.