Leelah Alcorn
CNN
In a small town in Ohio, trans teenager Leelah Alcorn struggled to be herself in her daily life. Her whole life she had been confused as to who she was. When she was 14, she found out what being trans meant, and she cried out of happiness. Her parents were not supportive and shamed her into the closet, she told in her suicide note that auto-published to her blog after her suicide.
With no support from her parents, trapped in the closet, she lost all hope and wrote the note that impacted many people’s lives. Leelah said “The only way I will rest in peace is if trangender people aren’t treated the way I was, they’re treated like humans with valid feelings and basic human rights. Gender needs to be taught 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 signed the note with the name she thought suited her, Leelah. After her death her parents disrespected her memory and told CNN “We don't support that, religiously, but we told him that we loved him unconditionally. We loved him no matter what. I loved my son. People need to know that I loved him. He was a good kid, a good boy." By not recognising the fact she was a girl, her words meant nothing. If she truly loved her daughter she would have put more effort into moving past her prejudices against trans people. |