Man Reportedly Kills Himself After Church Allegedly Refuses To Let Him Dress As A French Cat Maid

Toni and Kevin Link’s youngest son reportedly killed himself in 2024. 

A photo of their son, Joshua A. “Nomad” Link, wearing a french maid outfit, a collar around his neck, accompanies an online obituary for the young man. 

“The Links said [Joshua Link] was fired from [his] job as a custodian at St. John Lutheran Church in Granite City because [he] wouldn’t sign a document agreeing to wear a shirt, pants and shoes to work instead of a French maid outfit with cat ears, a tail and stocking feet. Less than a week later, [Joshua Link] was dead. [He] had lost the sense of value and purpose that the job provided, [his] parents said,” says the Belleville News-Democrat, an Illinois paper, in an article published Tuesday. (RELATED: College Students Identifying As Trans And Non-Binary Absolutely Craters In Just Two Years)

The Belleville News-Democrat persists in referring to Joshua Link as “Naomi” (or “she” or “her”). This, despite the fact that Joshua Link’s parents told the outlet that, since their son’s death, “they feel most comfortable using the name Joshua with male pronouns.”

The outlet reports that Joshua Link had “been transitioning to female for about two years.” We can conjecture that Joshua Link may have been injecting himself with exogenous hormones such as estrogen. Joshua Link’s inner life was likely more than a little turbulent. As evidenced by the fact that he apparently petitioned to wear what is essentially fetish gear to work, according to the Belleville News-Democrat’s report. 

This is not exaggeration.

A young man wanted to wear a cat-maid outfit to work as a custodian in a church, the church said he had to wear work appropriate clothing, so the young man took his own life.

There is no upper limit to the madness & horror caused by trans ideology. https://t.co/e6TwdygUKi

— Serena (@Serena_Partrick) January 21, 2026

“The Links said they believe [Rev. Bill] Hale and church leaders are partly responsible for [Joshua Link’s] death because they showed little empathy or concern and gave [him] an ultimatum that led to a mental health crisis,” says the outlet.

The Links “said they wanted to sue the church but couldn’t find an attorney to take the case,” the Belleville News-Democrat continues. Kevin Link reportedly wrote to leaders of the church, stating that he and his wife “hoped to obtain a doctor’s note regarding [Joshua Link’s] ‘mental health needs’ and the importance of [his] current attire.”

The Links, by the way, have a living son, who reportedly also believes he is a woman. 

Hale told the Belleville News-Democrat, “If we did not have any empathy for the situation that the family was in, we could have easily terminated [Joshua Link] immediately.” (RELATED: Virginia Democrats Move To Embed ‘Transgender And Queer’ History Across Kids’ Curriculum)

Yes. Obviously. The absurdity of the Links’ position here cannot be overstated. Their adult son wanted to go to work — at a church — dressed as a cat/french maid. In any sane country, that request would suffice to get someone put on psychiatric hold. Trans-identified men tend to simultaneously play the victim while holding all of society captive to their deranged (and usually perverted) whims. 

Joshua Link’s fate was, of course, tragic. Early intervention, rather than “affirmation,” might’ve spared many people a lot of pain.

Follow Natalie Sandoval on X: @NatSandovalDC