Ekai Lersundi

Ekai Lersundi Martínez (October 13, 2001 – February 15, 2018) was a Spanish transgender teenager, activist, and role model of the LGTBI+ movement, who died by suicide at the age of 16 while waiting for hormone therapy.

Biography From the age of 3, the family began receiving reports from teachers about alleged immaturity and learning difficulties, later identified as dyslexia and dyscalculia. Despite these challenges, he showed strong dedication to his studies. In secondary education, his difficulties increased, and he began to withdraw socially.

Although he occasionally told his parents he "wanted to be a boy", it wasn't taken too seriously. However, his preferences for clothing and haircuts became more noticeable. They supported him and contacted the association , made up of families in similar situations. With help from his mother, Ekai chose the name he would use in his new identity. He also informed his friends and acquaintances, who responded with great support. The next step was to inform his school and the health system, which proved more difficult as they lacked experience with similar cases.

Although he could have accessed treatment in Barcelona, Lersundi decided to request hormone treatment at Hospital de Cruces (Barakaldo, Biscay) as a form of activism.

Social impact Lersundi's death brought attention to the struggles of many transgender children in similar situations, highlighting the need for updated support systems. Demands included: consideration of individual needs (not all trans people need hormone or surgical treatment); making it easier to update gender markers in the National ID (which at the time required at least two years of hormone therapy ); ending the classification of transitions as psychiatric/psychological disorders; and enacting a unified national Trans Law to replace varying regional rules. the Municipality of Ondarroa, Save the Children, sexology groups, and LGTBI+ organizations expressed their support for the family. Ekai’s story helped amplify a growing movement for the acceptance of transgender people and the development of professional and legal resources for their protection.

Since October 2018, a monolith honors Ekai on the Itsas Aurre promenade in Ondarroa.

In 2020, the short documentary Mi pequeño gran samurái (My Little Great Samurai), directed by Arantza Ibarra, was released about Ekai’s life and his parents.

In February 2023, the film 20,000 Species of Bees, directed by Estibaliz Urresola Solaguren and inspired by Ekai’s suicide, received a standing ovation at the 73rd Berlinale.