Eden Knight, a 23-year-old transgender woman, tragically took her own life after being allegedly forced to de-transition by members of her family. According to reports, Knight’s family hired American “fixers” and a Saudi lawyer to take her back to Saudi Arabia, where trans people face severe discrimination. Knight claimed in a Twitter post, seemingly scheduled in advance, that she had been pressured into returning to Saudi Arabia and denied access to her hormone medication.
Knight had been living with her friend, Bailee Daws, after moving to the US to study. She had come out as trans during the COVID-19 lockdown. In the summer of 2022, she was contacted by the “fixers” to discuss the divide between her and her conservative Muslim parents. Allegedly, she was coerced into de-transitioning with the promise of shelter and food.
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Knight alleged that agents showed her examples of “feminine men,” claiming they were hiding the desire to transition and it was somehow better this way. Additionally, she claimed they constantly berated her while saying that she “looked like a man,” which caused her to have a mental breakdown. Feeling the pressure, Knight wrote that the only option was to de-transition and return home.
According to her message, she was then put through routine searches of her belongings while living at home to see if she had hidden stashes of feminizing hormones. After her hormone replacement therapy was found for a third time, she said she had become “tired” and was finished fighting. Friends and well-wishers have shared their thoughts on the circumstances that allegedly led to her death.
Activist Erin Reed wrote that Knight “had a huge impact” on her and that the circumstances surrounding her death “must be investigated.” She added that if the allegations are true, then Knight’s death “represents a serious atrocity committed [against] a transgender woman by people who are allowed to operate within the United States.” Knight’s friend, Bailee Daws, told The Independent that Knight was “a light” and would be sorely missed.
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