Radia Teherin Utsha
Age 1922 Apr 2024
Dhaka (Bangladesh)
Suicide
Radia died at the hostel where she was staying. Other students assumed that she died due to "depression, social ostracisation, and hostility towards transgender individuals."
A trans woman died after falling from a six-storey girls' hostel in the capital's Mirpur area on Monday night.
The deceased was identified as Radiya Tehrin Utsho, 19, a student of Bangla at Mirpur College and daughter of Saiful Islam from Jamalpur's Bakshiganj upazila.
Utsho had made history as the first trans woman to get a "yes card" in the "Miss Evergreen Bangladesh" pageant last September. She died after falling from the roof of "Betikrom Girls Hostel" in Mirpur-10, where she had been staying for the past six months.
Earlier that night, she made a post in Facebook indicating suicidal intentions and expressed her inability to delete her social media accounts. She requested others to do it on her behalf.
After the incident, she was taken to Suhrawardy Medical College and Hospital, where on-duty doctors declared her dead. utsho was buried in her Bakshiganj home yesterday after an autopsy.
Following her death, many social media posts claimed she died by suicide due to the ongoing backlash against [transgender people]. She was reportedly bullied for her gender both virtually and upfront.
A resident of the same hostel, Jobaida Mashruba told The Daily Star that Utsho lived in a four-bed room with two other students.
"She was a private person and didn't mingle much. We heard from her roommates that she returned to the hostel five days ago after Eid holidays. She, however, seemed more reserved than before after return.
"Students in the hostel assume that she died by suicide due to depression, social ostracisation, and the recent hostility towards transgender individuals."
Trans people have been facing intense scrutiny since January after controversies over a third-gender story in a class seven textbook, say activists. Shimul Khan, an activist for gender inclusion, said Utsho gained attention after participating in the beauty pageant. However, she faced extensive bullying afterwards.
"I heard she was disturbed by the portrayal of third-gender people in the class-VII textbook, which sparked a debate. However, her last post [on Facebook, before her death] didn't indicate any such concerns."
During the contest, Utsho had expressed her desire to represent the trans community on a global stage.
She spoke out about the challenges she endured as a child. "I was born with hormonal issues, and even though my parents treated me as a boy, my feminine features took over, which led to relentless bullying."
Utsho also highlighted the lack of access to proper education and job opportunities for transgender individuals, emphasising the absence of appropriate platforms for their representation.
https://shahanur.blogspot.com/2024/04/can-we-evade-accountability-for-death.html
https://shahanur.blogspot.com/2024/04/jmbf-deeply-mourns-recent-tragic.html
