Nigel Shelby buried in rainbow casket by his family
Nigel Shelby buried in rainbow casket.
Nigel Shelby has been laid to rest in a rainbow coloured casket by his family, who wore LGBT+ pride flags at his funeral.
The teenager died by suicide on April 19 after suffering homophobic bullying at his school in Huntsville, Alabama.
A reporter tweeted two pictures of the funeral, where family, friends, and others in the community gathered at the Rock Family Worship Center to say their final goodbyes on Tuesday (April 30).
Nigel Shelby laid to rest in rainbow colored casket as family wore pride colors https://t.co/KnbqXx3Wms pic.twitter.com/NZRoyaNsgG
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) April 30, 2019
In the images, Nigel’s casket can be seen covered in pictures of him as well as being decorated with butterflies and a giant rainbow.
According to a local news outlet, mourners wore special pride t-shirts in tribute to the gay teen.
The family of Nigel Shelby wore pride flags to his funeral
Nigel’s mother Camika Shelby recently spoke out about the death of her 15-year-old son.
In an interview with local news outlet WAFF 48, Shelby said her son had been struggling with depression and had been the victim of homophobic bullying.
She said: “Nigel was the sweetest child. He was outgoing, he was always full of joy, full of light, he was always singing, always dancing.
“He wanted to be a performer so you could probably see that.”
Nigel Shelby died by suicide.
“I don’t want him to be remembered as a kid who was bullied for being gay and who took his own life. He was so much more than that.”
“He was sunshine. He was just a great spirit to have around and it just breaks my heart because I feel like he had so much more love to give.”
Nigel Shelby ‘struggled with his identity’, mother says
Shelby’s mother also explained: “I knew he was struggling. I knew he was depressed. We were going to see doctors on a regular basis. He was going to see a psychiatrist. I’m still shocked that my baby’s not here anymore.
“With Nigel’s situation he was already struggling with his identity, so he was going through some stressful times. And depression is real. A lot of people don’t understand that depression is a disease.
Nigel Shelby’s mother speaks out about the death of her gay son. (Credit: NBC)
“And when you have a kid who is already depressed and going through a lot emotionally, for you to call him names that you shouldn’t call him or say stuff to them, it sometimes has a worse effect than it would on a child who is not struggling with depression.”
She added: “Coming out at such a young age, it can be hard. You don’t know if you are going to be accepted. He didn’t know if I was going to accept him. He’s my child. I love him. I know him. I already knew.”
A GoFundMe page set up to raise money for the Shelby family surpassed its goal of $10,000, raising more than $37,000 in donations.
If you are in the US and are having suicidal thoughts, suffering from anxiety or depression, or just want to talk, call the National Suicide Prevention Line on 1-800-273-8255. If you are in the UK, you can contact the Samaritans on 116 123.
