[moldyguts]

After posting a heartbreaking suicide note online, a transgender Ohio teen took her own life early Sunday by walking in front of a semi truck on Interstate 71 near her home outside Cincinnati.

Leelah Alcorn, 17, scheduled the note to be published on her Tumblr page, LazerPrincess, after her death. She wrote that she'd felt like "a girl trapped in a boy’s body" since she was 4, but didn't know it was possible for "a boy to become a girl" until 10 years later.

"When I was 14, I learned what transgender meant and cried of happiness. After 10 years of confusion I finally understood who I was. 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. If you are reading this, parents, please don’t tell this to your kids. Even if you are Christian or are against transgender people don’t ever say that to someone, especially your kid. That won’t do anything but make them hate them self. That’s exactly what it did to me."

Leelah3Alcorn wrote that her parents took her to Christian therapists who told her she was "selfish and wrong and that I should look to God for help." After Alcorn's parents refused to allow her to begin transitioning when she turned 16, she decided to come out as gay — prompting them to remove her from public school and deprive her of her laptop and phone, leaving her "completely alone" for five months.

When Alcorns' parents finally allowed her back online, she said she discovered that her friends "didn't actually give a shit about me" and "only liked me because they saw me five times a week." According to news reports, Alcorn was attending an online high school at the time of her death.

Alcorn wrote that she decided to take her own life because she felt she would never be able to transition successfully, have enough friends or find love:

"Either I live the rest of my life as a lonely man who wishes he were a woman or I live my life as a lonelier woman who hates herself. There’s no winning. There’s no way out. I’m sad enough already, I don’t need my life to get any worse. People say “it gets better” but that isn’t true in my case. It gets worse. Each day I get worse."

Alcorn concluded the note by calling for people to donate to a transgender civil rights group:

"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."

LeelahArtNot surprisingly, many of the news reports about Alcorn's death have misgendered her.

Alcorn's mother, Carla, wrote Sunday on Facebook: "My sweet 16 year old son, Joshua Ryan Alcorn went home to heaven this morning. He was out for an early morning walk and was hit by a truck. Thank you for the messages and kindness and concern you have sent our way. Please continue to keep us in your prayers."

[killedbycuriosity]

I just read about this and I'm quite saddened. I have a lot of friends who are trans and have had supportive and some not-so-supportive parents.

Her (I'm going to use preferred pronouns to be respectful) parents didn't have to understand what being trans meant. There was a family who had a child who displayed body dysphoria as a toddler and they became informed because they'd rather have a living son than a dead daughter. And shouldn't that be a parents biggest concern? Making sure your child is happy and healthy? Obviously she wasn't happy and even if you don't understand why, wouldn't you do anything to help your child relieve some of that unhappiness?

They obviously cared enough to take her to therapists but those therapists were extremely biased. I'm just sad that she felt she had no other alternative in her life. Though, if nothing else, I hope it'll open a dialogue for anyone else struggling so much with their own gender identity so that maybe a couple more lives won't be lost.

[TheFallOfTroyML]

thats really sad...

only option suicide - you have to be in a really bad shape for that shit

i dont have kids (yet), but i cant imagine doing that to my kids, doesnt matter if they are hetero, gay or transgender - it would be my flesh and blood and i would do everything to make them happy

i just cant get it, those parents must be ultra religious or something.


religion kills

[GregK]

Its insane someone wouldn't want their child to be happy because it surprises their fragile ideals.

[Mr Poo]

Meanwhile in China..

790 people commit suicide each day on average.

[invertigo]

Originally Posted by Mr Poo ↗

Meanwhile in China..

790 people commit suicide each day on average.

What an un-progressive thing for you to say...

[commondenom]

yup....don't care about one confused teen..

[commondenom]

Originally Posted by GregK ↗

Its insane someone wouldn't want their child to be happy because it surprises their fragile ideals.

christians are insane

[Pie]

I feel far more sorry for the truck driver, this guy has completely ruined his life forever by jumping in front of his truck. I'd go as far as saying it's selfish.

[TheFallOfTroyML]

Originally Posted by Pie ↗

I feel far more sorry for the truck driver, this guy has completely ruined his life forever by jumping in front of his truck. I'd go as far as saying it's selfish.

i have to agree to that

when you have no other option , just do it at home or at least not by train or car

a friend of mine is a train "driver" , and he would be the first one to step out and see what the outcome is, wich often totally ruins their mind and life. plus it happens way too often, because its a rather "safe" way to complete the task