Anti-LGBTQ bills in Alabama’s legislature threaten the state’s youth and undermine one gay teenager’s legacy, critics say

Now advancing throughout the Alabama legislature are a series of bills that would slowly chip away the rights of the LGBTQ community, including by limiting LGBTQ discussions in classrooms.

Camika Shelby says 2019 was the worst year of her life. “Never in a million years did I think I would pull up at home and find my child lifeless,” Shelby told CNN. Her only child, Nigel, died by suicide on April 18 that year. He was 15. Nigel was gay, Shelby said, but she never knew the impact that had on his life at school. She didn’t find out until the Huntsville City Board of Education opened an investigation into Nigel’s death – and what she learned prompted Shelby to sue the board and an administrator at Nigel’s school. Nigel was continuously bullied by his classmates both online and in-person for being gay – in some instances, even in front of faculty members, according to the civil lawsuit, filed in 2021. Nigel and his friends had reported the harassment Nigel was experiencing multiple times, but he was treated as “a joke” and brushed off as just having an “episode” by the lead administrator for freshman, according to the lawsuit. “The district’s lack of adequate policies and training significantly harmed Nigel and placed him at unreasonable risk of harm,” the suit stated. “And, now, Nigel is gone.” It’s a worry for many that is growing: Now advancing throughout the Alabama legislature are a series of bills that would slowly chip away the rights of the LGBTQ community, including by limiting LGBTQ discussions in classrooms.