Gay man who cannot accept his sexuality asks to be euthanised

Right to die: Sebastien said he wants to be euthanised because he cannot accept his sexuality
BBC
Laura Proto11 June 2016

A gay man has told how he wants to be euthanised because he cannot accept his sexuality.

The 39-year-old Belgian has said he wants to end his own life because he has suffered extreme psychological suffering and his sexuality has made him a “prisoner" in his own body.

The man, named as Sebastien, told the BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire programme he has undergone therapy and counselling, along with taking medication, for 17 years.

He says he now believes he has no other option but to end his life under his country’s euthanasia laws.

He said: “My whole life has led me to this, really. My mother had dementia, so I wasn’t right, mentally.

“All that was instilled in me, so I was extremely lonely, extremely withdrawn, very inhibited physically – scared to go out, scared of being seen, all the time scared, hugely shy.”

He told the programme that aged 15, he fell in love with a boy and said it was “unbearable” and that he “didn’t want to be gay.”

Under Belgium’s laws, anyone who wants to be euthanised must demonstrate they have “constant and unbearable physical or mental suffering.”

Sebastien is now undergoing medical assessments to see whether his wish to die is in line with the law before three doctors would have to agree euthanasia is the correct option.

Sebastien told the BBC: “I have always thought about death. Looking back on my earliest memories, it’s always been in my thoughts.

“It’s a permanent suffering, like being a prisoner in my own body.”

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in