'Trolls can destroy you and even make you suicidal,' Transgender Letoya Johnstone speaks

Piece by: Caren Nyota
Lifestyle

Transgender Letoya Johnstone is one of the bravest members of the LGBTQ family. She is never afraid of speaking her mind.

The bubbly runway model trainer, who is an easy target for trolls, in a recent interview with Mpasho.co.ke said that she has learnt to develop a thick skin for her critics.

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She said:

Verbal attack is at 90 per cent. Many expect you to be prettier if you're a transgender.

Adding:

Trolls are really crazy. I don't think if there's anybody who's prepared to deal with them. Some of them I get back to if it needs to be addressed. Some of them I don't because at the end of the day, it's just a moment in time. But some of them are so painful and crazy and can destroy you and can really even make you suicidal, but you need to be emotionally intelligent.

The LGBT family faces a lot of problems, among them discrimination, stigma, violence and rejection. Letoya says that she has experienced these and almost gave up in the process.

There is a point in life I lost all the deals with top companies I was working with. 

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Emotional Letoya Johnstone went ahead to say that there's nothing as bad as people overlooking your talent.

There is nothing as bad as sitting at home with your certificates just because of your sexuality or people overlooking your talent. It's one of the worst things. It really makes it crazy, and these are some of the challenges we're going through.

"The question is: How many of us are going through hell without talking? Because we're dying every day and people are not asking, 'Why are they committing suicide? Why are they not able to complete school? Why are they not able to secure a job?"

Well, it is because you're asking us to dress in a way that you want. You are always asking to present ourselves in a way that you want, but that's not who we are.

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