The suicide of 17-year-old Leelah Alcorn, a transgender girl from Ohio, has gained attention internationally and sparked a discussion about transgender youth and conversion therapy.
In her suicide note, Leelah described the torment she endured from her mother, after coming out as transgender. At the age of 14, Leelah was taken to conversion therapy by her mother, where she was repeatedly told that she was not a transgender person.
At 16 she requested that her parents let her transition from male to female. They denied her request, and Leelah decided to come out as gay at her high school, in hopes that it would ease the process of coming out as transgender. Her parents then took her out of public school and took away access to her laptop, phone, internet and friends for five months.
Supporting LGBT – lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender – youth like Leelah needs to be a priority. We need to make it clear to young people that they are accepted for who they are. Conversion therapy only serves to hurt the individual and make them feel deeply ashamed of themselves.
Transgender and gender nonconforming people face discrimination and violence in every aspect of their lives. According to a survey by the National Center for Transgender Equality people who expressed a transgender identity or gender
non-conformity in grades K-12 reported high rates of harassment (78%), physical assault (35%) and sexual violence (12%); harassment was so severe that almost one-sixth (15%) had to leave a school in K-12 settings or in higher education.
The American Association of Pediatrics, the American Psychological Association, the National Association of Social Workers, the American Counseling Association and many others have all released statements, as well as studies, condoning conversion therapy and discussing the psychological damage it does to LGBT patients.
In a statement on “reparative” or conversion therapy from 2000 the American Psychiatric Association says, “The potential risks of reparative therapy are great, including depression, anxiety and self-destructive behavior, since therapist alignment with societal prejudices against homosexuality may reinforce self-hatred already experienced by the patient.”
California was the first state to ban conversion therapy for gay minors, New Jersey soon followed and other states are attempting to get similar laws passed. The Transgender Human Rights Institute has started a petition on Change.org that would call for a permanent end to transgender conversion therapy. In honor of Leelah they’ve called it Leelah’s Law.
A few of Leelah’s last written words were, “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 f***ed up’ and fix it. Fix society. Please.”
We must begin to critically examine the ways in which society harms LGBT individuals, especially youth. It isn’t just the responsibility of the LGBT community.
Written by KAITLYN SKRZYPCZAK, Editor-in-Chief.