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# US school faces lawsuit after gay teen takes own life
- URL: https://www.scenemag.co.uk/us-school-faces-lawsuit-after-gay-teen-takes-own-life/
- Published: 2021-04-16T08:01:31.000Z
- Updated: 2021-04-16T06:26:57.000Z
- Description: The family of Nigel Shelby has filed a lawsuit against the City of Huntsville Board of Education.
- Author: Rachel Badham
- Tags: Mental Health, News, Alabama, Human Rights Campaign, LGBTQ, US

![](https://www.scenemag.co.uk/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/nigel-shelby-600-400.jpg)

The family of **Nigel Shelby**, a 15-year-old black gay student who took his own life in 2019 after being bullied at his school in **Alabama**, has filed a lawsuit that argues that the City of Huntsville Board of Education violated Shelby’s civil rights by not providing him with sufficient support and protection, according to *[AL News](https://www.al.com/news/2021/04/family-of-bullied-gay-teen-who-killed-himself-suing-huntsville-city-schools.html?ref=scenemag.co.uk)*.

During a [press conference](https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?v=1342013235956375&ref=watch%5Fpermalink) held two months after his death, Shelby’s mother, **Camika Shelby**, said: *“I feel like from the bottom of my heart, if someone had said something, this could have been prevented.”* She added: *“He was failed by a system that was supposed to protect him.”* The family is being represented by civil rights lawyer **Ben Crump**, who released a [statement](https://twitter.com/BenCrumpLaw/status/1381706749464485889?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1381706749464485889%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1%5F&ref%5Furl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.them.us%2Fstory%2Ffamily-sues-school-after-bullied-black-gay-teen-suicide&ref=scenemag.co.uk) on social media saying: *“School admin were aware of his plans* \[to take his life\], *but didn’t alert Nigel’s parents.”*

![](https://www.scenemag.co.uk/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/nigel-shelby-lgbt-600-400.jpg)

According to the **[Human Rights Campaign](https://www.hrc.org/resources/black-and-african-american-lgbtq-youth-report?ref=scenemag.co.uk)**, 40% of black LGBTQ+ teens experience bullying at school, with a further 47% facing discrimination from family due to their sexuality and/or gender identity. As a result, 80% of black LGBTQ+ youth reported feeling depressed on a regular basis, with only 35% having access to counselling.