December 28^th, transgender teen, Leelah Alcorn, stepped in front of a semi-truck in Ohio.

The tragic suicide was alleged to be caused by her Christian parent’s transphobia. Born Joshua Alcorn, 17 year old transgender female, Leelah, came out to her parents. She was then excluded from the rest of the family, taken out of school, banned from social media, and sent to conversion therapy, a therapy some believe will turn gays straight, for five months before resorting to suicide.

In Leelah’s suicide note she posted on Tumblr she stated how her parents reacted to her coming out as a transgender.

“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.” She wrote.

Leelah also included that it was her parent’s lack of understanding and the refusal to accept her that led her to the decision of killing herself. Leelah’s mom told CNN that it was true she did not support her child’s gender identity, but insisted that she still loved her child. She used using male pronouns the entire interview.

“We don’t support that, religiously,” Carla Alcorn told CNN, “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.”

In a FaceBook status by Carla Alcorn after the death of her daughter, she stated, “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.”

Not only did Carla Alcorn refuse to acknowledge Leelah’s gender choices, she  claimed her daughter’s suicide was an accident. She even posted the wrong age.

Thousands of fellow Tumblr users and others all over the world are outraged. There’s even a petition to ban all LGBTQ+ conversion therapy in Leelah’s honor. Currently there are 35,294 total signatures on the petition. Parents, Don and Carla Alcorn, requested that their ‘sons’ suicide note be taken down from social media but angry supporters continue to publish it. The conclusion to Leelah’s suicide note gave a very important final message,

“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 f*cked up” and fix it. Fix society. Please.”

FSA Questions

1. Predict how the authors feel about the subject.
2. How does the inclusion of quotes in the article make it more credible?
3. Define “transphobia”.
4. What is the importance of using female pronouns rather than male?

5. How did Leelah’s parents react to her coming out