Saudi trans woman Eden Knight has died by suicide after allegedly being forced to ‘de-transition’ by her family. Reports of her death were confirmed following the scheduled posting of an essay on her social media entitled ‘Final message’.

Eden Knight, 23, lived in the United States until last year, after having moved there from Saudi Arabia, a country that has been found to be one the most dangerous in the world for LGBTQ+ people. In her social media post, she documented that her parents had hired American ‘fixers’ and a Saudi lawyer to take her back to her country of origin. Allegedly, the ‘fixers’ – having approached Knight online – invited her to discuss the division between her and her conservative parents.

At the time, Knight was living with her friend Bailee Daws. She had moved to the United States to study and had come out as a trans woman during the Covid-19 pandemic. Knight was drawn into temporary housing in Washington DC by the ‘fixers’ and was made dependent on them for food and shelter. She then was allegedly coerced into ‘de-transitioning’ for fear of having these necessities withdrawn.

The ‘fixers’, she claimed, would belittle her constantly, saying she “looked like a man”, and even showed her examples of so-called “feminine men”, stating that they wished to transition but were able to hide that desire, and suggested it was better this way.

Knight felt her only option was to return home and ‘de-transition’. She wrote: “I did everything [they] asked. I cut my hair, I stopped taking oestrogen, I changed my wardrobe.”

Knight documented how, while living at home, she was put through routine searches of her belongings to find secret caches of hormones. She continued: “I wanted to be a leader for people like me, but that wasn’t written to happen […] I hope that the world gets better for us. I hope our people get old […] I hope we get to see our kids grow up to fight for us. I hope for trans rights worldwide.”

Knight said she was “tired” and was finished fighting. Her death was confirmed on March 13, after her body was found by her family, who continue to misgender her using male pronouns even after her death.

Eden’s friends have created a document for “journalists, activists, friends, trans allies and onlookers,” containing background information on Knight and the alleged perpetrators. “We are greatly disturbed by how she was treated. We believe that what happened to her was an unspeakable violation and there must be consequences. Justice must be served,” they wrote in the document.

If you have been affected by this story or are looking to reach out to someone for support or advice or just to talk, there are numerous services available for LGBTQ+ people, listed below, and many offer instant messaging support.
SpunOut.ie
LGBT Helpline
TENI
Samaritans
Aware
Pieta House
Mental Health Ireland