In a heartbreaking interview, the mother of Nigel Shelby, the 15-year-old Alabama teen who took his life last week after being bullied for being gay, says she wants people to know more about him than that: “He was sunshine. He was such a good spirit to have around. It breaks my heart because I feel like he had so much more love to give.”
EARLIER: Nigel Shelby, a Gay Alabama Teen, Took His Own Life After Suffering Homophobic Bullying
“Coming out at such a young age. It can be hard,” explained Camika Shelby. “You never know if you're going to be accepted. He didn't know if I was going to accept it. I mean, that's my child. I love him. I know him. So, I already knew.”
Shelby said her son struggled with depression, and that likely enhanced the effects of the bullying: “I definitely want to bring awareness to the bullying because when kids are struggling with their own identity, if they're going through stuff already and you have other kids who are making them feel bad about themselves, it has an even bigger impact than if they weren't struggling with those things.”
