Leelah Alcorn, born Josh Alcorn, was a 17 year-old transgender (boy to girl) from Ohio. On December 28th, she jumped in front of a truck to commit suicide. She posted her suicide note on Tumblr, and it went viral. She said that every since she was 4, she knew something was different. When she told her parents about her wanting to live as a girl, her parents, who were Christians, said they didn't agree, that she would never truly be a girl, and that "God doesn't make mistakes". Her mom started taking her to Christian therapists, who tried to "cure" her of her "disease". Leelah was already depressed, and the therapists only worsened that. Her parents took away her laptop and phone, and took her out of public school. For 5 months, she was completely isolated from everyone. When Leelah turned 16, she asked her parents for permission to transition into a girl, When they said no, she was heartbroken. This was one of the reasons leading to her suicide, along with others not accepting her and her lifestyle.
Leelah was buried in a suit, with her birth name, Josh, on her gravestone. Her parents did nothing to help her depression, and were the complete opposite of supportive to her. Even if being transgender were against their religion, they could have at least tried to help her instead of completely isolating her from her friends. When she died, they didn't even let her die as a girl. There's a petition going around to change the name on the tombstone to Leelah, which is what she would have wanted. In her note, she told people that "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." It's not fair to Leelah, the fact that she was driven to suicide by (mostly) her own parents, and she doesn't even get the respect of her name on her grave.
Petition to change the gravestone:
https://www.change.org/p/carla-l-alcorn-have-the-correct-name-of-leelah-alcorn-placed-on-her-headstone-in-true-remembrance
More on Leelah (Read at your own risk)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Leelah_Alcorn
Leelah was buried in a suit, with her birth name, Josh, on her gravestone. Her parents did nothing to help her depression, and were the complete opposite of supportive to her. Even if being transgender were against their religion, they could have at least tried to help her instead of completely isolating her from her friends. When she died, they didn't even let her die as a girl. There's a petition going around to change the name on the tombstone to Leelah, which is what she would have wanted. In her note, she told people that "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." It's not fair to Leelah, the fact that she was driven to suicide by (mostly) her own parents, and she doesn't even get the respect of her name on her grave.
Petition to change the gravestone:
https://www.change.org/p/carla-l-alcorn-have-the-correct-name-of-leelah-alcorn-placed-on-her-headstone-in-true-remembrance
More on Leelah (Read at your own risk)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Leelah_Alcorn
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