A Year of Knowing Nile

With the numbers of gay suicides on the rise it is easy to forget, that behind every statistic or percentile that you hear about, there is a vast human tragedy at its core. It is with this in mind that I urge you to take the time to visit A Year of Knowing Nile, a Facebook based blog and multimedia project by The Manic Media Group.

The blog itself relates the last year of the life of Nile Southwood, as seen through the eyes of Ian Zachary Whittingham and how their relationship blossomed while living in London’s own Brick Lane. Nile himself is described as an extraordinary young man who battled against mental illness for a long time before sadly taking his own in June 2011. The blog is a labour of love for those who knew him and manages to help put a human face on the tragedy of suicide, both to the person who committed it, but also to the loved ones who have to continue on.

The premise is simple but undeniably effective, the blog releases a new story approximately every week that covers a significant event in Nile and Zach’s lives together. Readers are able to partake in all the beauty, darkness, pain and wonder of Nile’s final year, and thanks to the blog-like prose allows it to be easily picked up by anyone at anytime.

Thanks to an ever growing readership, A Year of Knowing Nile has been nominated for an Online Media Award 2013 and has attracted attention from a growing number of charities and associations including the Lesbian and Gay Switchboard, FRANK and Colchester Mind.

We at So So Gay, urge you to take a look at this rare piece of work, and let yourself become touched by Nile’s story as soon as possible.