An Italian TikToker who came out as transgender and then non-binary has taken his own life after internet bullies allegedly targeted him for changing his gender identity.
Davide Garufi, 21, came out as a transgender woman and asked his followers to call him Alexandra.
After a few months, the content creator reportedly said he had decided to go back to using his birth name, telling fans that he instead identified as non-binary and would use male pronouns again.
The announcement sparked conversation about gender identity among his followers, but also saw a number of abusive and transphobic comments directed towards Garufi.
Tragically, on March 19, Garufi shot himself dead at the home he shared with his family near Milan, police said.
A probe has been launched into his death, with police looking into possible third party involvement.
Two case files have reportedly been opened for possible incitement to suicide and failure to correctly store a firearm.
The weapon Garufi used to take his own life had been loose in a backpack in the house, according to information obtained by news outlet Fanpage.it.
Reports in Italian media earlier suggested that police were looking into whether hate comments online caused his death, but authorities have now said that the probe is not directly linked to these messages, ANSA reports.
Investigators are said to be focusing on the analysis of Garufi’s computer and phone, and have heard testimony from his friends and boyfriend.
Garufi began posting on TikTok in 2020 and had built up a following of more than 278,000 with more than 1.4million likes on content on his main page.
He posted comedy sketches as well as more personal content about his gender identity using various different handles on the platform, as well as on Instagram.
He also worked in a shoe store at a shopping centre near where he lived, and was regularly recognised by customers due to his internet fame.
Tributes have poured in for the creator, including from the Sinistra Italiana (Italian Left) political party.
In a statement it expressed ‘pain and anger for the death of Alex/Davide Garufi’ believing that he was ‘a victim of transphobic bullying’.
The party added that his death is ‘the result of traditional culture that finds support in anti-choice movements and the intolerant right’.
Daniele Durante, a delegate from the left-wing party, said he held ‘traditional’ Italian society responsible for Garufi’s death, saying it ‘does not understand the devastating impact of online bullying’.
The Milan branch of Sinistra Italiana said in response to the tragic news that it ‘is committed to fighting’ intolerance, adding that its goal ‘is to build a more just and inclusive society’.