Sad story and I'm sorry for the kid and the family. I found it interesting that the writer refers to the teen as "she" and that people denounced the mom for refusing to use the female pronoun.
Transgender always confuses me.
How people seem to blame the mom is beyond me. She refused to accept her son as a daughter. So, what's the problem with that?
I just don't get it and don't want to. The article points to statistics that iirc, say cloase that the suicide rate is close to 50% with transgender peoples. Yet, the boy's letter blames society.
My guess is that the rate is so high because these folks are sick. It's not because a woman is trapped inside of a man's body.
http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/suicide-of-transgender-teen-sparks-heightened-advocacy-for-trans-rights/ar-BBhmIqoThe suicide of transgender teenager Leelah Alcorn has brought heightened attention to the injustices that transgender individuals face.
Alcorn, 17, walked in front of a tractor trailer in Warren County in Ohio early Sunday morning. She left behind a wrenching suicide note on Tumblr, which she scheduled to post a few hours after her death. Leelah's note has over 50,000 shares and comments on Tumblr thus far.
In the note, Leelah spoke about not being accepted by her Christian parents for her true gender identity, and how they wouldn’t give her consent to begin transitioning on her 16th birthday. “I immediately told my mom, and she reacted extremely negatively, telling me that it was a phase, that I would never truly be a girl, that God doesn’t make mistakes, that I am wrong,†she wrote. Leelah then goes on to describe how her parents took her to Christian therapists, who told her she was “selfish†and “wrong†and she should “look to God for help." As a final wish, she implores parents to not do the same to their children.
Alcorn’s mother wrote a Facebook post in which she described her daughter's death as an accident, and referred to Alcorn by her birth name, Joshua Ryan, instead of Leelah.
The suicide rate for transgender youths is staggeringly high. The Youth Suicide Prevention Program reports that over 50 percent of transgender youths have attempted to commit suicide at least once before reaching the age of 20. Health care options for transgender individuals are limited as well, and the majority of violence perpetuated against LGBT folks stems from transphobia. Recent data from the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs shows that nearly three-quarters of LGBT homicide victims in 2013 (72 percent) were transgender women.
In her note, Leelah requests that her things be sold and the money be donated to transgender civil rights and support groups. “The only way I will rest in peace is if one day transgender people aren’t treated the way I was, they’re treated like humans, with valid feelings and human rights. Gender needs to be taught about in schools, the earlier the better. My death needs to mean something. My death needs to be counted in the number of transgender people who commit suicide this year. I want someone to look at that number and say “that’s fucked up†and fix it. Fix society. Please,†she wrote.
Leelah’s death has sparked an outcry on Twitter from activists and transgender leaders, like Janet Mock, advocating for compassion and tolerance.
So upset to hear about #LeelahAlcorn. Sadly I know this story is common in the trans community. We need to raise awareness-
— Gerard Sleigh (@gerardway) December 30, 2014
RIP #LeelahAlcorn, lovely girl, talented illustrator. You deserved the freedom to grow up and fully realize your dreams. I'm so sorry.
— Suzy X. (@msmalcriada) December 30, 2014
Leelah's note checked parents on intolerance, challenged medical gatekeepers, highlighted power of social media & upheld self-determination.
— Janet Mock (@janetmock) December 30, 2014
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