'Fix Society': Transgender Teen Posted Plea Before Suicide

"Fix Society" ....if only it were that simple
Yet it does need fixing!!

The 17 yo teen was born male, but said she had felt like a girl trapped in a boy's body since she was four and did not learn what transgender was until she was 14

When she spoke about it to her parents, they rejected her idea and sought help with a therapist
She was born to the name of Joshua, but started going by her new name of Leelah, which her parents would not use

In a posting on her Tumblr account, verified by NBC News, Alcorn said her parents did not accept her identification as a female and she felt shunned by the world at large

Finally, after deciding she couldn't take it any more, she committed suicide

But here are her own words, to better explain her situation:

"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," Alcorn wrote.
"People say 'it gets better' but that isn't true in my case. It gets worse. Each day I get worse."

The suicide of a transgender teen from Ohio — who wrote an anguished note pleading, "Fix society" before walking into the path of a truck — has struck a chord across the country. Others who have transitioned from one gender to another took to Twitter to post their stories under the hashtag #RealLiveTransAdult. An advocacy group called for a national effort to ban "conversion therapy." And an online petition calling for the teen's family to use her chosen name on her tombstone has gathered 35,000 signatures.

Early Sunday, Alcorn left home in Kings Mills and walked in front of a tractor trailer on Interstate 71. The Warren County coroner is waiting for toxicology results before issuing a cause of death, but lead investigator Doyle Burke told NBC News, "It's going to be ruled a suicide."

www.nbcnews.com...

The death of 17-year-old Leelah Alcorn, who was called Joshua by her family, also highlighted the high suicide rate in the transgender community. Advocates say 40 percent of trans youth report attempting to take their life at some point, although data is limited.

"Suicide attempts are higher for trans youth because they face high rates of discrimination, rejection, fear and hatred than other youth," said David W. Bond, a clinical social worker who is vice president of programs for the suicide-prevention group The Trevor Project.

"These youth are trying to understand and build their identities in a world that tells them they are wrong for who they are."

That is such a tragedy

It is a shame that a person can't be who they want to be because of society and their judgmental attitude of what is and is not acceptable

Can not even begin to image what hell transgenders go through
I imagine over time they acquire thick skin to hold up against the insults hurled at them
People can be so cruel, it's sickening

Suicide is not the answer tho, but evidently Leelah felt that this was the only way to be heard

My thoughts and prayers go out to her family and friends

a reply to: snarky412

I support the LBGT crowd, and I'm probably going to get a lot of hate for saying this, but why can't people just accept who they are and what they have in life? Why do people always want to be something other than what they're meant to be, and why do they they always what more in life, and want what they can't have?

I understand some people are born with different brain chemistry, but it makes no sense to me. However, I am not one to judge another's decisions in life, and I accept and support all people for what they are. I guess I just can't see in their world because different perspective comes into play.

a reply to: snarky412

I watched a documentary about this issue and it left me feeling very sad for the young people going through this. There's no easy answer.

originally posted by: AreUKiddingMe
a reply to: snarky412

I watched a documentary about this issue and it left me feeling very sad for the young people going through this. There's no easy answer.

There is a very easy answer. They need to be taught that all their emotional pain comes from their own thoughts, not from thoughts or actions of others, or from outside circumstances.

Happiness is a choice. So is suicide. If more people were taught that happiness is their choice, and theirs alone, there would probably be few people killing themselves.

I attended a large catholic grade school in the 1960s. There were 1200 kids enrolled there. There were two boys
in my grade level who were the classic 'female trapped in a male body' personality. They were bullied and persecuted
because they wanted to play with girls instead of boys. They wanted to jump rope with the girls instead of play dodge ball with the boys. The children didn't understand it, but you'd think some of the adults would have.

I recently spoke with a woman who I attended school with way back then. She was trying to arrange a reunion of
our old classmates. She informed me that those two guys had commited suicide. One had done it almost 20 years ago,
the other, fairly recently.

It made me think how terribly alienated someone in that situation might feel.

a reply to: Lynk3


My internet is acting a little wonky still, so I hope this goes through....LOL


I hope you don't get many harsh remarks just because you voiced your opinion

Many don't understand that some people are born with genes that they have no control over
Meaning, if one is born a male but has more female genes, naturally the feminine side will come out, in their actions as well as their emotions

That is what it sounds like in this case
The sad part is not getting the emotional support from the family

a reply to: snarky412

Not to sound callous, but there are millions of people on this planet who can't be what they really want to be because of society's restrictive attitudes.

It sounds to me like this individual couldn't cope with the fact that society wouldnt accept her the way she was, so she got depressed to the point of being suicidal. Sorry, but that's not society's fault. It's hers. You can't control how people act towards you, but you can control how you react to them.

Some people can't even accept the fact that others don't agree with something as mainstream as their religous preference, for example, to the point where they shun, hate and actually kill them. What makes Transgender people think that society is ready to accept them?

In my opinion, that's just another form of a sense of entitlement that makes them incapable of accepting society's views as they are. They think, for some reason, that even though society isn't ready to accept them, it should anyway and if it doesn't then society is the one that's wrong. Not them.

It's childish and counterproductive towards any kind of change that society needs to adopt.

a reply to: Lynk3
"but why can't people just accept who they are and what they have in life?"

This isn't a reply to you, just this sentiment.

Why can't people accept some folks wearing different cuts of clothing, styling their hair differently, and treating their facial appearance like the other half of the population? Why can't people let them have some semblance of mental comfort? Why can't people accept that maybe that is who they are? They're already alone and scorned for expressing themselves, why does the entire population get to express themselves, except for trans folk? Last I checked humans were notable as a species for their minds, not their bodies.

I am not in any way singling you out, I just can't even comprehend why this bothers people. And it bothers people enough to harass and even kill.

Do those who despise them think that they themselves are so outlandishly attractive that any trans person who walks by will have no choice but to attempt to seduce them with their devil powers, so they preemptively attack in self defense? Or are trans people just devil people because of their aforementioned devil powers, thus deserving of the hatred and violence directed at them? Are some people just offended by a boy in a dress or a girl with taped down breasts?

Maybe it's because people don't like how powerful makeup actually is? Is it because no matter what a trans person's orientation is, they're going to be with the 'wrong' gender, and it's all ookie and gross when that happens? Is seeing two guys kiss such a horrible experience for so many people, that even if one is actually a girl it's still the end of the world? In fact, worse than the end of the world?

Again, I'm not calling you out, or singling you out. I just wanted to reply to that sentiment.

Because I really, really, don't get it.

a reply to: Taupin Desciple


I understand where you are coming from and you make a valid point

Guess some people are not as strong minded as you or I, so when they feel constantly attacked, insulted, shunned, due to the fact they know they 'don't belong' in what many would consider normal, they feel lost and alone
Which leads to depression and despair
And in this particular case, suicide


Has anyone ever hurt my feeling before in the past?
Oh hell yeah

Did I let them see me cry?
No way

But I'm fortunate enough to have learned from that experience and grow from it
(even tho it pissed me off. LOL)

Being strong minded is beneficial in surviving this dog-eat-dog world of today

a reply to: Taupin Desciple

here's a tune for em.

I turn on the tube and what do I see?
A whole lotta people cryin, Dont blame me
They point their crooked little fingers at everybody else
Spend all their time feelin sorry for themselves Victim of this, victim of that
Your mamas too thin and your daddys too fat


Get over it!
Get over it!
All this whinin and cryin and pitchin a fit
Get over it! Get over it!

You say you havent been the same since you had your little crash
But you might feel better if they gave you some cash
The more I think about it old Billy was right
Lets kill all the lawyers, kill em tonight
You dont wanna work, you wanna live like a king
But the big, bad world doesnt owe you a thing
Get over it!
Get over it!
If you dont wanna play then you might as well split
Get over it! Get over it!

Its like goin' to confession every time I hear you speak
Youre makin the most of your losin streak
Some call it sick but I call it weak, yeah yeah yeah

Yeah you drag it around like a ball and chain
You wallow in the guilt, you wallow in the pain
You wave it like a flag, you wear it like a crown
Got your mind in the gutter, bringin everybody down
You bitch about the present and blame it on the past
Id like to find your inner child and kick its little ass!

Get over it!
Get over it!
All this bitchin and moanin and pitchin a fit
Get over it!Get over it!

Get over it!
Get over it! Its gotta stop sometime so why dont you quit?
Get over it! Get over it!
Get over it!
Songwriters HENLEY, DON / FREY, GLENN LEWIS

Yeah, Killing yourself is the answer...How Selfish.

It seems we have to evolve some as a society. It is not only transgender. It is gay, lesbian, black, white,Muslim, christian,Jew ect... Hate crimes, bullying and war are all result of people insisting others be like them.

It is all about compassion. Being mindful all the time with the need to be compassionate towards others. In this case, this person's parents couldn't even exercise a little compassion for their young one, or take their needs seriously, or give it anything other than negative attention.

People really start "messing" up when their own parents don't believe them, or can't understand them, or listen to them.

A person's last line of defense against destruction, is their own family or parents.

She was 15 when her parents took her out of school, and made her a prisoner at home. They took away her phone and iPad for about 5 months, and made her go to Christian counsellors.

Oh yeah, she should just "buck up" and be strong.

I agree, we need to fix anything and one at a time. Anything to get this place back to bearable levels.

There are many transgendered kids. Look up a young lady named Jazz. She was born a boy and wanted to be a girl. She was able at a certain age to have her dreams come true and is now a gorgeous and extremely happy young lady! Very inspiring!

originally posted by: Annee

She was 15 when her parents took her out of school, and made her a prisoner at home. They took away her phone and iPad for about 5 months, and made her go to Christian counsellors.

Oh, the unspeakable horror.

a reply to: Annee

So her parents kept her away, physically and technically, from the very society that was shunning her? Sounds like they were doing her a favor and neither her nor her parents saw that.

And neither do you I guess.

Makes sense to me.

"I was born male but refuse to accept that I have male genitalia. Therefore I must kill myself"

Nice to see someone choose the reset button rather than be miserable and whine about it their whole lives.

As a mother, I am so sad that any young person, including this one, felt so alone and alienated from their parents and the world that they would walk in front of a truck. That's a rough one.

Depression is a real thing. Not a crybaby, geez I want the world to accept how I want to be seen... real, honest to goodness depression. Look it up. Real. Brain/body chemistry. Not simply feeling sorry for oneself.

You can't "fix" something that is inherent to your identity. Can;t beat the gay out of someone, nor the "transgender" out of someone. They can't choose differently either. It would be like you choosing to be 6 foot tall when you only grew to 5'7'' and that was that.

Dead is dead. She is gone forever. So young. Why comment with nastiness? Good for you that you aren't faced with such depression or such horrible self identity issues. Count your blessings and move on rather than speak ill of the one who was so alone she walked in front of a freakin' truck.