‘Everybody in this town has helped us’: Trussville rallies around family after tragic loss of transgender student

By Chris Yow
Editor

TRUSSVILLE — Jay Griffin’s suicide last week shook the Trussville community. From an emotional standpoint, the entire community felt the heartbreak of a family that just lost a child. The underlying question, however, was how would the community react because this was the death of a transgender child? For this community, that simply didn’t matter.

For Erin and Matt Georgia, the support was overwhelming. From food and money to little necessities that sometimes go unnoticed, citizens of Trussville were reaching out a helping hand.

Jay (Jane Marie) Griffin

“Everybody in this town has helped us,” Erin Georgia said. “When it’s personal, it overrides any negative thoughts someone might have. We’re active in the community, the schools and the church. People know we’re a good family.”

The fact that Jay was a transgender child meant nothing to those in this community, it seemed.

“Any controversy pertaining to the situation went away because the people of this town know and love us, and they knew we were hurting. All of the community has been so supportive,” Erin Georgia said. “Dr. (Pattie) Neill, Lisa Berry and everyone in the school system has been so supportive. We’ve gotten cards and money from the schools; Matt’s department brought us food that afternoon. It’s been overwhelming.”

The Board of Education held their monthly meeting on the same day as the funeral, but Erin said she was happy with the way the board handled the situation. Moving the work session to a time where members and school officials could attend parts of the service as well as take care of the school’s business.

“I think they did a great job with the decision. They all came over to the church before the meeting,” she said.

Businesses, such as Jefferson Memorial, were also able to extend a helping hand to the family.

“Jefferson Memorial was incredibly supportive. They could’ve said they didn’t agree with this, and told us to go somewhere else,” Erin Georgia said. “They were very supportive in every way.”

A GoFundMe was started for the family as well by a friends from their church.
“We’ve not had any financial burden because of this community,” she said.

The family moved here just five years ago, but since their arrival the family has felt nothing but inclusion. Of course, there have been hardships, but Erin said being in Trussville has been a blessing. One of the biggest blessings for the family was First United Methodist Church Trussville. Their support was unwavering in many aspects, despite never having dealt with a transgender member of a family.

“Our church has always been very supportive,” she said. “We left the church a while back due to a lot of factors, but the church did as much as they could do without something like this ever happening before.”

The Methodist denomination’s book of discipline states that homosexuality is not consistent with Christianity. Though Erin says Jay was not a homosexual, transgender is lumped into the same category, causing the church to be conflicted. That never stopped the inclusion of Jay and the Georgia’s.

“Drake Roberts is a phenomenal youth pastor,” Erin Georgia said. “Jay had been in youth since sixth grade. The group was always welcoming and accepting of him.”

The acceptance and inclusion of Jay during this transition has been something by which the family has been encouraged.

“It’s at least starting the discussion of what we can do to make these people feel welcome in our church and community,” she said. “We all have to learn if it’s not our natural perspective. Culture changes over time.

“Jay liked to do all the same things other kids liked to do. He just wanted to be loved and accepted, and nobody make a big deal about it. That’s all he ever asked for.”