Trans woman’s death ‘preventable with right support’, mother says

The family of a young trans woman who is believed to have taken her own life have said she was “failed by those tasked with her care”, as the coroner investigating her death described services for transgender people as “underfunded and insufficiently resourced”.

Alice Litman had been waiting to receive gender-affirming healthcare for more than three years when she died in Brighton at the age of 20 in May 2022.

Ahead of an inquest which began in Hove on Monday, her mother, Dr Caroline Litman, described Alice’s death as “preventable with access to the right support”.

Adjourning the inquest on Wednesday to give a narrative conclusion in two weeks’ time, the coroner Sarah Clarke told the court: “It seems to me that all of these services are underfunded and insufficiently resourced for the level of need that the society we live in now presents".

Describing the trans healthcare system as “not fit for purpose”, Alice's family, who are being supported by the Good Law Project, added: “We are grateful that the coroner has agreed that the conditions of Alice’s death warrant a report to prevent future deaths.”

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Source: The Guardian, 20 September 2023