Celebrity Chef Nigella Lawson Helped Pay for a Gay Trans Man’s Funeral After His Parents Wouldn’t

Daine Grey was a student at City College in San Francisco. In September of last year, he came out as a trans, gay man. But, unfortunately, on July 2, he took his own life. His parents were informed, but they disowned him when he came out. In a stunning display of cruelty, his parents refused even to collect his body, leaving his friends to honor him.

Daine Grey committed suicide when he was only 22. When the San Francisco coroner’s office reached out to inform his parents, they didn’t reply. After 10 days, Lady Katerina, one of Grey’s friends, was able to claim the body on behalf of the City College’s Queer Resource Center.

But funerals are expensive, so Lady Katerina launched a GoFundMe to help cover the costs. She only asked for $17,000 for a casket, burial clothes, funeral services and a final resting place.

Thankfully, as the tragic news of Daine Grey’s suicide went viral, the goal was met in 40 hours, including a $500 donation from celebrity chef Nigella Lawson.

The fundraiser is continuing, and all remaining funds after covering the funeral expenses will go to the Queer Resource Center (QRC). Daine Grey spent a lot of time at the QRC; Lady Katerina said Grey called the center “home.”

Sadly, the center is forced by the college to close during the summer, and Katerina says the lack of that resource contributed to Grey’s suicide.

In a recent interview, she said, “The school refus[es], year after year after year, [to] open up the Queer Resource Center during the summer. We take away a very much viable life source for our students, who rely on the Queer Resource Center nine months of the year, and then [are] told: ‘Oh sorry we’re taking away that life source for the summer.’”

She added, “[Grey] didn’t have the support he needed when we shut down before the summer.”

According to NBC News, Grey’s parents, Stephanie and Peter Haught are estranged and Stephanie hadn’t spoken to Grey since he was 16. She claimed Peter told her he would claim Grey’s body, so it appears that the disowning comes from Peter’s side of the family. Stephanie reached out to Lady Katerina, and she will be involved in planning the memorial.

How cruel is it for Daine Grey’s father to refuse to collect his body?

For those reading, if you’re having thoughts of suicide, please reach out for help.