It’s heartbreaking to hear this.

Rynn Willgohs died by suicide

. Rynn, 52, formerly of Fargo, was a strong advocate for the local transgender community.

I knew Rynn, but I didn’t know her very well. I met with him twice in person and several times by phone. The topic was often about bigotry and mistreatment of local transgender people.

Contributor / Rynn Willgohs

Rynn was brave and courageous. But he was also tortured. Rynn has been harassed, threatened, and stalked simply because she is transgender.

“People are threatening to cut off my breasts,” Rynn told me. “I’ve been called a child molester and a faggot. One person told me he was going to burn my house down. Another said: ‘Can’t wait to catch you guys legally.’ ”

The North Dakota Legislature passed some terrible and hateful bills signed by Governor Doug Burgum that make life even harder for Rynn and the entire transgender community. These new laws eliminated required medical treatment for transgender minors and prohibited transgender people from using bathrooms that matched their gender identity.

“I won’t go to NDSU or public buildings because of the bathroom bill,” Rynn said. “The Legislature told me that even though I have a woman’s body, I had to use the men’s restroom. The last time I tried to use the men’s restroom, someone was choking me. I thought he was going to kill me.”

Despite the horrific treatment she received, Rynn never regretted becoming a woman. For most of her life, she felt trapped by a woman’s mind living in a man’s body. When she fully transitioned, she felt liberated and said she “became her true self.”

Rynn also founded Transport, which sends at-risk transgender people to more accepting places.

However, the cruel and unnecessary new laws in North Dakota were the final straw for him, and he moved to Finland.

“The introduction of this legislation condemns our existence,” Rynn said. “This legitimizes hatred. I am a woman. I have the body and brain of a woman. We are now a bigger and easier target. It will get worse. There will be an increase in hate crimes in this state. I am afraid to go out in some places.”

Why does it matter to others that Rynn is transgender? Why don’t we leave people like Rynn alone and let them live their own lives? Maybe if we had done this Rynn would still be alive.

Jim Shaw / Forum

this is terrible Fargo Cass Public Health Officer Dr. How Tracie Newman was treated. Newman was told

He needs to reapply for his job.

with no guarantee that you will get it. If rehired, working hours will be halved.

Newman, a renowned, caring and intelligent pediatrician, did an excellent job. He became a passionate advocate for vaccinating children. This mistreatment of Newman is not only an insult to himself, but also a loss to the entire society.

InForum columnist Jim Shaw is a former WDAY TV reporter and former KVRR TV news director.