On Dec. 28, a young transgender teenager died tragically. Leelah Alcorn, born Joshua Alcorn, died at the age of 17 by jumping in front of a tractor- trailer. Before her death, Leelah made a post on Tumblr that would go out after she was dead. In her note, Leelah wrote about how she never felt accepted by anyone. She wrote that “After 10 years of confusion, I finally understood who I was.”  Leelah said in her letter that her parents took her to therapists, but they were all very biased Christian therapists. She was told multiple times that she was just going through a phase and that God doesn’t make mistakes. Leelah struggled for many years trying to understand why she felt like a girl trapped in a boy’s body. In her note, Leelah asked for the world to be fixed. She wanted her death to mean something.

Since Leelah’s death, her parents have received many threats and have been shamed by people moved by Leelah’s note. Leelah’s parents were not accepting of her being a girl. She said in her note: “ They wanted me to be their perfect little straight, Christian boy, and obviously that’s not what I wanted.” Before her death, Leelah’s parents isolated her from her friends and social media. Eventually, they gave her phone back and let her talk to friends, but Leelah wrote that the months without her friends were the loneliest times of her life. Leelah felt completely alone and tried to come out as gay at her school in order to ease people into the idea that she was transgender. Even after Leelah’s death, her parents were still trying to deny who she really was and they even kept Leelah’s best friend from coming to her funeral. Mr. and Mrs. Alcorn wanted a son. They buried Leelah in a suit and called her Josh because they couldn’t accept that Leelah was a girl.

Transgender bullying is a growing problem in the United States. In a national study conducted, it was found that transgendered people are more likely to get into risky situations, such as drugs and other activities, more likely to become depressed, and even more likely to commit or attempt suicide. Leelah’s death is just one in many transgendered suicides. It has attracted the media’s attention and has helped raise awareness for transgender issues. Her death has sparked many civil rights movements such as Leelah’s Law, a law that bans conversion therapy, and there is now a group on Facebook that works to try to get rights for all LGBT+ people.

Leelah’s unfortunate death has inspired many people to become more accepting of all genders and people with different sexualities. Her story has inspired the hashtag, #restinpower, which shows support for Leelah and others feeling alone or confused about their gender. Hopefully, Leelah’s death will inspire all of us to treat everyone with respect and not judge people based solely on their physical appearances.