This archive report was first published on 8 August 2019.
On August 8, 2019, Kenyan transgender model Letoya Johnstone took to Instagram to share a poignant post, highlighting the struggles she faces daily.
Known for her bold fashion sense and love for the catwalk, Letoya's post was a cry for help, as she revealed the emotional and mental abuse she has endured.
She wrote, 'When people choose to break you, they find power that can reciprocate their own emptiness.'
Letoya went on to share her experiences, stating, 'I have been cut open many times, and sometimes I bleed on those who never cut me, those are like shattered mirrors.'
She further added, 'I have been blamed and suspected, I have been put through emotional and mental abuse until I almost took my own life away.'
Letoya's post also touched on the theme of exploitation, saying, 'I have lost dignity and worked under high-powered hypocritical situations. The things we do for a dollar are worse than a sewer.'
She expressed her fear of being pushed too far, stating, 'I have begged, cried, tried to be nice and even stayed longer and became the most loyal, yet I am still being cut by the windows of the house I keep building.'
Letoya's post ended with a poignant message, 'I fear not for someone else but for myself. My fear is that I will take my own life away because of someone keeps breaking me and wakes up like they can't even see me dying.'
