Praveen Nath, a trans man bodybuilder from Kerala, died on Thursday, May 4. He was under treatment at the Thrissur Medical College Hospital following an attempted suicide. Nath was a gold medalist in the state-level bodybuilding competition of 2021 in the transgender category and was even honoured with the title of Mr Kerala.
His death was an intense shock to the fans and the shocking death comes just three months after his marriage trans woman Rishana Aishu, who is a model and winner of the Miss Malabar beauty contest. The couple tied the knot on February 14, 2023.
However, the latest reports suggest that the couple’s separation had led to bullying and cyber attacks against Praveen.
An IndiaToday report suggests that Nath, who was in his late 20s, reportedly took his own life by ingesting poison at his suburban home on Thursday afternoon, said the officials.
Prior to his attempted suicide, Praveen had shared a Facebook post announcing his separation from Rishana. However, he deleted the post in merely an hour. In his second post published on May 1, he stated that the couple hasn't separated.
“We live together. I put a post saying so and it was deleted within an hour. (I had to write that in a particular situation, it's very personal) I don't know what there is to celebrate. Do not spread the news that we have broken up, do let us live a good life,” he wrote, posing a question: “Have Malayalam news pages degraded so much?”
Praveen, who was a native of Nenmara in Palakkad, also was also the advocacy coordinator of the Thrissur-based LGBTQIA+ organisation Sahayathrika.
Nath faced many hurdles in his journey to be crowned with the title of Mr Kerala. His trainer at the gym in Thrissur’s Ayyanthole, had to get the Body Building Association of Kerala to create a new category for transgender bodybuilders in the competition. Praveen’s win was received with jubilation by the trans community, reported The News Minute.
Image Source: Instagram