ABOVE: Henry Berg-Brousseau. Photo via the Human Rights Campaign.
Kentucky state Senator Dr. Karen Berg announced Dec. 20 that her son Henry Berg-Brousseau, 24, a prominent transgender activist and the deputy press secretary for politics at the Human Rights Campaign had died by suicide Dec. 16 in his home in Arlington.
In a statement released confirming his death, the Kentucky Democrat who was recently reelected to represent District 26 in the statehouse said that he was a “beloved son, brother, nephew, dog parent and friend.”
“The depth of his loss is yet to be absorbed,” she said.
Berg also noted, “Henry spent his life working to extend grace, compassion and understanding to everyone, but especially to the vulnerable and marginalized. This grace, compassion and understanding was not always returned to him.”
The senator also pointed out that the escalating hate against trans Americans, coupled with his job at HRC, was a factor in his death.
“This hate building across the country weighed on him. In one of our last conversations, he wondered if he was safe walking down the street,” she wrote.
“The vitriol against trans people is not happening in a vacuum,” she added. “It has real-world implications for how transgender people view their place in the world and how they are treated as they just try to live their lives.”
Statement from Sen. @karenforky on the passing of her son, Henry: pic.twitter.com/0zuhYEseXz
— KY Senate Democrats (@KYSenateDems) December 20, 2022
HRC President Kelley Robinson issued the following statement, remembering Berg-Brousseau:
“Losing Henry is an unfathomable loss to the Human Rights Campaign family. Henry was a light — deeply passionate, deeply engaged and deeply caring. His colleagues will always remember his hunger for justice, his eagerness to pitch in, his bright presence and his indelible sense of humor. He could always be counted on to volunteer for a project, hit send on a press release from wherever in the world he was or share a kind word in the elevator up to his office.”
“Henry was first and foremost a fighter and an advocate. He was fighting for transgender rights as a teenager in Kentucky, far earlier than he should have had to. As part of his job at HRC, he faced down anti-transgender vitriol every single day, and no one was more aware of the harm that anti-transgender rhetoric, messaging, and legislation could have on his community. He was brave. But, as Henry’s mother stated, ‘[t]he vitriol against trans people is not happening in a vacuum … It has real-world implications for how transgender people view their place in the world and how they are treated as they just try to live their lives.’ It sadly impacted how Henry saw his own place in the world.”
“In honor of Henry’s life, we must come together and speak out against injustice. We must fight for our transgender family. We must celebrate his light, and honor him by continuing to fight for full equality for all. Our thoughts are with his parents, his sister, his entire family, and our whole community.”
Born in Louisville, Kentucky, the young activist began his impactful advocacy career as a student at Louisville Collegiate School, where he organized a protest against so-called “conversion therapy,” spoke to the Kentucky Senate Education Committee and participated in other “local and national causes,” according to his obituary.
The funeral took place Dec. 21 in Louisville.
Memorial Contributions in honor of Henry Berg-Brousseau may go to the Fairness Campaign, 2263 Frankfort Ave., Louisville, Ky., 40206, or the Trevor Project-Development, PO Box 69232, West Hollywood, Calif., 90069.
If you need to talk to someone now, call the Trans Lifeline at 1-877-565-8860. It’s staffed by trans people, for trans people.
The Trevor Project provides a safe, judgment-free place to talk for LGBTQ youth at 1-866-488-7386.
If you or anyone you love is experiencing mental health issues or suicidal thoughts, please reach out for help. You can call or text the number 988, which will direct you to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. It is free and available 24 hours a day.
