Once again we find ourselves looking for the silver lining in a suicide story. In this case, we aren’t mourning a celebrity or veteran, but a transgender teen- the latest in a shocking series of deaths in Ohio’s transgendered community. As Cincinnati City Councilman Chris Seelbach eloquently put it, “We have to do better.”
WCPO in Cincinnati covered the death of Leelah Alcorn, and an excerpt of their coverage is below. In her apparent suicide note, Leelah said: “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****d up’ and fix it. Fix society. Please.”
If sharing her story will help someone else choose not to commit suicide, that would be one silver lining on this tragedy. If you’re in the greater Cleveland area and you, or someone you love, is struggling with suicidal thoughts, please know that we are here.
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(Editor’s note: WCPO does not customarily report suicides. However, we do report on suicides when there are extenuating circumstances.)
KINGS MILL, OHIO — While family and friends are grieving the loss of a local teen, an online firestorm of criticism and debate centering on beliefs and gender identity is spreading across the country…
Then on Monday, an alleged suicide note penned by Leelah Alcorn appeared on a blog> …
Leelah’s blog post describes experiencing isolation and depression once she identified herself as transgender at the age of 14. She detailed frustration because she did not believe her parents supported who she was.
The teen expressed strong dismay when they would not sign off on medical procedures to transition physically into a woman starting at the age of 16.