This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is at risk of suicide please call the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255, text HOME to 741741 or go to SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources.
Sara Ramirez is opening up about how they called the National Suicide Prevention Hotline in the early days of the pandemic after they thought about taking their own life.
It was May 2020 when the nonbinary actor took action.
“I remember calling the National Suicide Hotline for the very first time,” they told Variety. “I called some folks, but their phones were off, and I thought, ‘Well, there’s this hotline.'"
“This person really talked me off a ledge and got me back into my body. I could acknowledge my feelings without becoming them, and it was really helpful. I was particularly vulnerable at that time, and I sought out support. I got that support, but it was a really rough year where, for the most part, I had to release all attachments to permanence in every direction.”
Ramirez, 46, said there were multiple factors playing a role in how they were feeling, including the pandemic and “the violence in our country, and grappling with the anti-Blackness that permeates our society so deeply.” They say those events highlighted their “own personal trauma” from childhood.
“It just painted a picture of the world that I wasn’t sure I wanted to be a part of,” said Ramirez, who joined Black Lives Matter protests in 2020.
Ramirez also made headlines in August of that year when they came out as nonbinary in an Instagram post. They say there was no intention to make any sort of grand announcement.
“An Instagram post is just an Instagram post,” Ramirez said. “It’s a thought in a moment of a day. But it was a powerful one, I guess, to certain people.”
The Tony Award winner, who had previously starred on "Grey's Anatomy," went on to achieve a new level of fame by starring in “And Just Like That …,” HBO’s reboot of “Sex and the City,” in which she played the controversial Che Diaz, a podcaster who breaks up Miranda’s marriage to long-time partner Steve.
“What I love about Che is that Che is complicated and messy and human,” Ramirez said. “Che is a great reminder that even when we don’t like someone in our community, they still deserve love, safety and joy, like everyone else."
“The movement for liberation includes everyone, even people we don’t like," Ramirez continued. "This movement, this fight, this party of pride, isn’t just for the people who make us feel cozy and cute — it’s for everyone.”
Ramirez also warns people to stay focused on important matters regarding the LGBTQ community and the hardships they face when talking about Che.
“If you’re going to get caught up in this character, at least learn about how people like Che Diaz are currently trying to survive escalating attacks on our community,” they said.