CARIMAC Times 2016: The JREAM Edition Journalists Reviving Awareness of what Matters | Page 110

Photo by Varun Baker

“I left that place very angry, very suicidal. [But]
in the end I didn’t do it [commit suicide], and
I don’t know if it’s because I picked up my
camera, and I started just venting.” he said.
“I realised that I almost never survived that
moment, but I did. And I realised that some
people probably didn’t. There is absolutely no
support or anything of that sort, and here’s
a charity who didn’t even help me. What if I
was the type of person who actually did end
up killing myself? Then what? Nobody would
have known that I’d reach out to somebody.”

After his near-suicide attempt, Wanliss felt
compelled to help others who shared the
same struggle. Like Jamaica, he said the “trans
scene” is still developing in England, and trans
specific services and events are not common or
accessible. The lack of groups for transgender
people in England caused Wanliss to create his
own. He founded the company Pure Gender,
which acts as both a support group and a store
specialising in the sale of products for trans
people. Now he is dedicated to bringing about
social change and unifying the trans community.
His efforts have been welcome and praised.

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