Death of transgender teen sparks debate online

The death of US transgender teenager, Leelah Alcorn, has sparked discussions on social media platforms. She published her farewell on her blog.

Deutsche Welle, 31 Dec 2014

The pink colored post with the title ‘Suicide Note' caused the stir on the blogging platform, Tumblr. An animated Hello Kitty inspired theme bobs up and down in the background. “If you are reading this, it means that I have committed suicide and obviously failed to delete this post from my queue,” writes the 17-year-old high school student, who was hit by tractor on December 28 in Kings Mills, Ohio. Underneath a signature: “(Leelah) Josh Alcorn”. Above it is one more blogpost titled ‘Sorry'. It addresses friends and relatives.

While police are still investigating the death, as reported by the local paper WCPO Cincinnati, the teenager's death has sparked worldwide discussions on the acceptance of transgender. The blogpost was shared over a 170,000 times on Tumblr alone, while over 52,000 people spread the news on Twitter. Local Cincinnati Councilman Chris Seelbach shared the letter on Facebook adding that while Cincinnati had made efforts to protect gender identity, “We simply have to do better”. Additionally openly gay celebrities like Perez Hilton and Stephen Fry expressed their views on the Alcorn's death:

Just heard about #LeelahAlcorn - so so sad. A lack of understanding for people like her so so common.
— Stephen Fry (@stephenfry) December 30, 2014

“When I was 14, I learned what transgender meant and cried of happiness. After 10 years of confusion, I finally understood who I was,” writes Leelah, who was born as Joshua Alcorn. She describes how she outed herself as being gay in school and explained to her mother how she felt like a girl, trapped in a boy's body. She describes how her parents made her see Christian therapist, took her out of school and isolated her from her friends. After five months once again allowed her access to her laptop and phone, but the ultimate damage had been done and the acceptance from her parents that she yearned for, never materialized.

I don't even have words... I'm sick to my stomach. We can't stop until there is a change. #LeelahAlcorn pic.twitter.com/KBRFKbhIH4
— summer (@chxsingclifford) December 31, 2014

“I'm never going to be happy with the way I look or sound,” she writes. “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.” Her message to her parents, who utterly refused to accept her choice and her wish to undergo surgery, was clear: “F*** Y**.You can't just control other people like that.”

Leelah's mother Carla Wood Alcorn had initially posted as message on Facebook on Sunday (December 29): “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. “She and her husband have been heavily criticized for the way they treated their child and for their refusal to accept Leelah's gender identity and choice of name even after her death.

Heartbreaking that #LeelahAlcorn 's parents STILL can't grasp why their daughter took her life. #thisMUSTstop pic.twitter.com/umDcC7K0lK
— Harry Cook (@HarryCook) December 31, 2014

Parents of trans children, what is more difficult? Accepting them, or burying them? RIP #LeelahAlcorn pic.twitter.com/h5E93UTmWk
— Steph (@ElloSteph) December 31, 2014

While many – not including the selected tweets above – displayed their anger at towards parents openly, a few voices cautioned that “Leelah's death should be honored by not spreading hate” and that demonizing the parents would in fact “give them the opportunity to play the victim card”.

Leelah ended her goodbyes with plea to give all her legal belongings to a transgender civil rights group and the message that gender identity should be taught in schools, the sooner, the better. In the last few days, Facebook groups 'to end gender conversion therapy' and campaigns to officially change Alcorn's first name to Leelah on her grave have gained traction.

Related Article:

"The Akashic Circle" – Jul 17, 2011 (Kryon channelled by Lee Carroll) - (Subjects: Religion, The Humanization of God, Benevolent Design, DNA, Akashic Circle, (Old) Souls, Gaia, Indigenous People, Talents, Reincarnation, Genders, Gender Switches, In “between” Gender Change, Gender Confusion, Shift of Human Consciousness, Global Unity,..... etc.)  - (Text version)

“… Gender Switching

Old souls, let me tell you something. If you are old enough, and many of you are, you have been everything. Do you hear me? All of you. You have been both genders. All of you have been what I will call between genders, and that means that all of you have had gender switches. Do you know what happens when it's time for you to switch a gender? We have discussed it before. You'll have dozens of lifetimes as the same gender. You're used to it. It's comfortable. You cannot conceive of being anything else, yet now it's time to change. It takes approximately three lifetimes for you to get used to it, and in those three lifetimes, you will have what I call "gender confusion."

It isn't confusion at all. It's absolutely normal, yet society often will see it as abnormal. I'm sitting here telling you you've all been through it. All of you. That's what old souls do. It's part of the system. …”