Ohio: 17 Year Old Transgender Teenager Commits Suicide, Leaves Heartbreaking Suicide Note

Very sad to read the story of Leelah Alcorn, a 17 year old transgender teenager who committed suicide this past Sunday morning by walking in front of a tractor trailer on the highway.

Leelah struggled with her parents reaction to her coming to the realization that she was trans.

From her suicide note which appeared on her Tumblr account hours after she died:

If you are reading this, it means that I have committed suicide and obviously failed to delete this post from my queue.

Please don’t be sad, it’s for the better. The life I would’ve lived isn’t worth living in… because I’m transgender. I could go into detail explaining why I feel that way, but this note is probably going to be lengthy enough as it is. To put it simply, I feel like a girl trapped in a boy’s body, and I’ve felt that way ever since I was 4. I never knew there was a word for that feeling, nor was it possible for a boy to become a girl, so I never told anyone and I just continued to do traditionally “boyish” things to try to fit in.

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.

[snip]

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.

Goodbye,

(Leelah) Josh Alcorn

In a follow-up post, Leelah apologized to friends and family but had this to say her parents:

Mom and Dad: Fuck you. You can’t just control other people like that. That’s messed up.

If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or depression there are resources for help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-8255