Jason Pulman tragically took his own life (Pulman Family)
The parents of a transgender teenager who took his own life have called for more support for youngsters waiting for care.
15-year-old Jason Pulman was found dead in Hampden Park, Eastbourne, East Sussex, in April 2022. He had been on an NHS gender identity service waiting list for more than two years.
Jason, who was trans masc, had been referred in 2020, but was told several months later that there was a 26-month wait just for a first appointment.
In April, an inquest jury found systemic failures by a range of services supporting Jason could have contributed to his death. Mark Pulman had noted that his stepson became increasingly frustrated over the lack of support and appeared to have “given up,” adding: “I know it broke Jason.”
The teenager’s mother, Emily, urged national services to do more to support trans under-18s on the waiting list. “They need so much more resources and not to have one appointment that’s years away,” she said.
“There needs to be regular input with these kids, so it’s not just about their gender, it’s about their mental health overall.”
Information collected by PA Media and reported by The Guardian suggests that more than 5,700 under-18s are waiting an average of 100 weeks for a first appointment.
Waiting times have only been exacerbated by the closure of what was England’s only youth gender clinic, at The Tavistock Centre in North London.
Jason’s stepfather believes that the numbers are “hugely underestimated” and added that he hopes families are given faster responses and emotional support.
“We want to change the system and we want to change it for the families because it’s a very lonely, isolating place to be when you think you’re the only person whose child is going through this,” he told the BBC.
“I don’t want people to think [being] transgender and suicide are the same thing, because they are not. I don’t want people to automatically be fearful. If your child feels [they are transgender], you’ve got to believe them and support them.”
Families of trans children need to take charge of the system and not to let it “take charge of you,” he added.
“Be on the phone, email them, push for more information,” he urged. “Never take it on face value that this [appointment] is going to be the answer to your problems because there’s going to be more support needed, like counselling for the whole family.”
Suicide is preventable. Readers who are affected by the issues raised in this story are encouraged to contact Samaritans on 116 123 (www.samaritans.org), or Mind on 0300 123 3393 (www.mind.org.uk). Readers in the US are encouraged to contact the National Suicide Prevention Line on 1-800-273-8255.