Hello, dollars. A trans Woman, named Leelah Alcorn committed suicide not that long ago. I feel like we should educate people about transgender people, because it s certainly not talked about in school. Here is a link to help the petition someone started for her. She was forced into conversation therapy and was not supported.https://www.change.org/p/president-of-the-united-states-enact-leelah-s-law-to-ban-transgender-conversion-therapy

If you don't know what the term transgender means,trans·gen·der
transˈjendər,tranzˈjendər/
adjective
denoting or relating to a person whose self-identity does not conform unambiguously to conventional notions of male or female gender.
You may find many definitions, but this is the T tacked onto LGBT. Going past anyones beliefs,this IS NOT a choice. you were born this way.

Leelah was like any of us, she ran a tumblr blog, that will most likely be taken down by her parents, because she posted her suicide note there. if anyone refers to her as slurs or such, know that it will be deleted, ect.

http://www.wcpo.com/news/local-news/hamilton-county/cincinnati/leelah-alcorns-death-stirs-action-in-us-and-beyond

Her suicide note reads:LEELAH'S SUICIDE LETTER
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.
My mom started taking me to a therapist, but would only take me to christian therapists, (who were all very biased) so I never actually got the therapy I needed to cure me of my depression. I only got more Christians telling me that I was selfish and wrong and that I should look to God for help.
When I was 16 I realized that my parents would never come around, and that I would have to wait until I was 18 to start any sort of transitioning treatment, which absolutely broke my heart. The longer you wait, the harder it is to transition. I felt hopeless, that I was just going to look like a man in drag for the rest of my life. On my 16th birthday, when I didn't receive consent from my parents to start transitioning, I cried myself to sleep.
I formed a sort of a 'f*** you' attitude towards my parents and came out as gay at school, thinking that maybe if I eased into coming out as trans it would be less of a shock. Although the reaction from my friends was positive, my parents were pissed. They felt like I was attacking their image, and that I was an embarrassment to them. They wanted me to be their perfect little straight christian boy, and that's obviously not what I wanted.
So they took me out of public school, took away my laptop and phone, and forbid me of getting on any sort of social media, completely isolating me from my friends. This was probably the part of my life when I was the most depressed, and I'm surprised I didn't kill myself. I was completely alone for 5 months. No friends, no support, no love. Just my parent's disappointment and the cruelty of loneliness.
At the end of the school year, my parents finally came around and gave me my phone and let me back on social media. I was excited, I finally had my friends back. They were extremely excited to see me and talk to me, but only at first. Eventually they realized they didn't actually give a s**t about me, and I felt even lonelier than I did before. The only friends I thought I had only liked me because they saw me five times a week.
After a summer of having almost no friends plus the weight of having to think about college, save money for moving out, keep my grades up, go to church each week and feel like s**t because everyone there is against everything I live for, I have decided I've had enough. I'm never going to transition successfully, even when I move out. I'm never going to be happy with the way I look or sound. I'm never going to have enough friends to satisfy me. I'm never going to have enough love to satisfy me. I'm never going to find a man who loves me. I'm never going to be happy. Either I live the rest of my life as a lonely man who wishes he were a woman or I live my life as a lonelier woman who hates herself. There's no winning. There's no way out. I'm sad enough already, I don't need my life to get any worse. People say 'it gets better' but that isn't true in my case. It gets worse. Each day I get worse.
That's the gist of it, that's why I feel like killing myself. Sorry if that's not a good enough reason for you, it's good enough for me. As for my will, I want 100% of the things that I legally own to be sold and the money (plus my money in the bank) to be given to trans civil rights movements and support groups, I don't give a s**t which one. The only way I will rest in peace is if one day transgender people aren't treated the way I was, they're treated like humans, with valid feelings and human rights. Gender needs to be taught about in schools, the earlier the better. 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.
Goodbye,
Leelah Alcorn.
If this doesn't make you upset i don't know what will.
Please educate anyone, everyone spread the word transgender is normal. do a project on it, donate clothes to one of the many trans swaps that you won't wear anymore. they take boy, girl, and unisex clothing. so if you can't return something you don't want, or have some stuff you won't wear please donate it. also look under trans swap tags on any website to donate. if you don't live in one of these areas, just simply google a trans swap to someone in need who can't afford them.
if you are a trans*, trans, or transgender in need, feel free to call any hotline or look at any of the clothing swap links.
They even take makeup and accessories.
https://www.facebook.com/transclothesswap
http://uktransclothesswap.tumblr.com/
http://trans-friendly-clothing-swap.tumblr.com/
http://canadatrans.tumblr.com/

some blogs will be willing to pay for shipping, others won't.
the trans community, just like any other, always needs help.
non binaries too.

I heard about that. Yeah, that was pretty awful. I mean, suicide and depression keeps attacking everywhere, so anyone who does it should be in consideration. But since this person was transgender and that was really led to their demise, I get it is wise that people should get educated more about it. The problem is just that not everyone is comfortable with it, so sometimes it just takes time for people to feel that way. Not everyone was comfortable about African Americans in the 1950s, but everyone became comfortable about it around the 1980s, although sure there's still racism even today. It just takes time for people to be tolerant I suppose. But Leelah's death was tragic, so God rest her soul. People's attitudes need to change toward this, for sure. I'm not a firm believer in being transgender, but I'd never treat that person any differently from another, for sure.

This world is mostly made out of dumb shit who doesn't understand what real liberty and therefore right to be whatever the hell you want feels like. What do you think we would accomplish through educating them? Future generations? ok I get the plan but for that to happen we need openminded people in a level even higher than now which would require a society made out of people who accept everything because there is a rational explanation for everything. If we suppose that rational means scientific then many things such as the paranormal and people's hearts will never be explained and the'll be just brushed over and discarded as garbage and nonsense which in turn will lead the society into being even more closeminded. The exact same would happen if the rational was just art or just feelings. To make things more simple, the ying can't exist without the yang, the good cannot exist without the bad and the dark without the light. You can't have a society without closeminded people because that would not be a society but something else where even plain murder with a "rational" explanation, be it science, feelings and the rest, would be accepted. On the other side there is nothing we can do about people who have decided to end their lives other than try to convince them otherwise which doesn't always work since it is their decision. Moral of the story is that this world is made of chaos, in other words makes no sense, and as humans we try to find reason, in other words order, behind all things, which is pointles on it's own,and change it based on the "reason" we found. The world is changing itself through random events and nobody can really understand where it's going or what's its purpose because there is no purpose. If someone commited suicide then don't try to influence the world more than the person who took his/her life did or you will get influenced by the world's madness. That's all I gotta say...

Well i cant speak for bystander since im not him/her, but i can understand what their trying to accomplish. @Dantebayo you say that there cant be a ying without the yang which i do believe as well, but sitting by and not saying anything at all has never changed anything. that allows one to be stronger and better then the other and ultimately leading to more chaos as there then becomes a struggle to overcome. i dont think that what bystander is trying to do is meaningless as it takes people with a voice to speak up, to be able to reach the hearts of the closeminded and be able to expand their horizons as well. not all of us were so open to the world our entire lives, but we all have that uniqueness and intrigue that allows us to wonder. some find solice in the steady pace they have which isnt bad, but for us we always want to be a cog in the wheel of change. i support bystander for his/her decision because i believe he/she wants to do what they feel is right in their heart. Because they believe in something, i will stand by them as well. thats the Dollar way isnt it?

Aren't humans so interesting. The way they are so quick to commend discrimination and yet everyday you discriminate.
In the end none is any better than an animal. The weak shall all perish, while the strong remain.
Mankind will always fight untill one remains.

>>5 Aren't you the optimist

No, just an interested observer.

you've got a fair point.

>>3

Well, that's probably the least intelligent thing I've read in awhile.

Anyway, on this topic:

Conversion therapy of such kinds is unfounded and horrible. Even basic therapy for children thrown into mental homes is horrendous. We really need safety laws to protect people who aren't seen as individuals in the eyes of the law yet.

The worst part is what her parents said about it.

why do people have to judge other people by what they do?

remember reading this when it happened i was so upset it truely is an awful thing

>>7 I know, I know. You just worded it very pessimistically, Idk.

>>11 I agree, it really isn't fair :/ People can be the worst judges sometimes.

I used to think everyone hated me in like sixth grade, it made me feel so bad and I just wanted to be accepted. I don't want any one to feel the way I did

Hey fellow Dollars check this out we are being noticed http://iviskei.hubpages.com/hub/The-Dollars-Rise-of-the-colorless-internet-gang

whoops sorry I meant to create a thread

hello again, i'm a non binary folk. Not that it matters but seeing some didn't know my pronouns are they/them. Yes I do understand it takes time, that's why i'm mentioning it now. So we start now. Yes, people weren't understanding of others a while ago, but I mean I have no intention of waiting til i'm a grandparent to start 'getting accepted'. I'm sick of my fellow online friends killing themselves. Or getting murdered for using the bathroom. And i'm really sick of us getting beat up whenever we go out in public. So many people say they are an lgbt ally, but they don't even know what the T means. There are so many examples of lgb online, like tyleroakley, famous athletes and youtubers ect. But when I look at the amount of trans people, they don't wanna get shit in real life.
because so many support cute gbffs! and stuff like that, gay is really okay. not that i have a problem, hell im happy! i stand up whenever someone makes a homophobic, racist, or sexist comment. not that it really makes a difference, but it does make the people around you not so shitty. using thats what she said joke is the same as being sexist. Where are the feminist for the trans women? where is the love for trans people of color? not many examples now a days of us. and when there is, it's usually wrong. like people calling john shiloh in magazines, and using his wrong pronouns, that makes other people do the same. when someones editing a wiki site for any transgender person, they go by the biological pronouns, and not what they identify as. kinda pisses me off. Yeah I understand it's not the hugest issue in the world, but no issue is ever the smallest. Can't anyone help? maybe read some articles about pronouns, educate younger siblings. I DON'T CARE IF YOU HAVE A RELIGION, I DO TOO. I'M A A STRONG CHRISTIAN, AND NOBODY IN MY FAMILY HATES ANYONE. GOD LOVES ALL REGARDLESS. HE WOULDN'T SENT ANYONE TO HELL. NOT EVEN IF THEY DID A SIN. NOT EVEN IF THEY LOVED ANYONE, BECAUSE LOVING ISN'T A SIN. NEITHER ARE WE. My church preaches that every sunday. so even if you aren't a christian, because there are a tonnnn of religions out there and it doesn't matter even if you don't believe in one. just the fact that your god, gods, allah, ect. don't hate. they don't hate. the devil hated, thats why he's not with us. god doesn't hate. they love us all. or else they wouldn't have created us. Once again, just saying this so were clear, you don't have to be in my religion to help. my sister is muslim and my brother is atheist. they still help as much as they can. we all love each other regardless of beliefs.
did god create man because they were lonely?
or did man create god because they were lonely?
doesn't matter.
because creator will still love you, even if they are not there in your life

leelah Alcorn released a strong message to society and states it should fix its ways. society is just rude. if you don't like transgenders i believe you should just let them live their lives, because you don't know whats going on in their personal life and it could affect them really badly.

>>17 AAHSHASBAHAHAB

I remember reading the suicide note on tumblr, and feeling really weird for the rest of the day. I'm not transgender, but I have been suicidal in the past, so it hit me hard. And to be honest I was in a trance the rest of the day.

I find it very disappointing that their parents treated them that way. To be honest this sort of behavior is what turned me away from religion-- You should love your sons/daughters no matter who they are, or what they feel.

There is a big problem of transphobia, people need to learn how to accept non binary people.
Remember : there is no suicide of trans people, the society kills them.

I have some non binary friends, they are harassed everyday, it has to stop.

>Remember : there is no suicide of trans people, the society kills them

Oh, for fucks sakes.
There's a lot of shit that people who do radically different stuff from the rest of their gender have to deal with, but that is just dumb. If you can blame society for killing non-binary people, I can blame non-binary people entirely for killing themselves. Just like you can't say suicide isn't a choice in any way, I can't say harassing people and being an asshole isn't a choice in any way. Both are illogical trash.

In this case, the 'treatment' she was going through was simply horrendous, and was likely orders of magnitude worse than being called names on the Internet. But a blanket statement like 'society kills them' is just ill-thought.

This is not a "blanket statement".
What I see in your message is tthat you don't know how trans people live.
I have a friend, she tried to kill herself 2 times because here life is really hard, everything is hard. Everyday, some people call her "monster" (really, in the subway, in the street, at school) everyday.
Her parents don't want to see her anymore.
Because she is trans.
She had to get new identity documents, but on the old ones, it was said that she was a boy, she struggled for month to get new documents.

The society is not made for non binary people, everytime, it reminds her she is not "normal".

And you say what ? "yeah, that's dumb, the society is not responsible".

Yoou're wrong.

Being teans is not so different than wearing a orange shirt. Yes, may stand out more but it shouldn't affect anyone. The people that say " you should be this not that" or correcting you in anyway (unless is extremely illegal like murder) has no life. They're consider about others' people life rather than their own.

sorry, I noticed that I had a typo. I mean trans not treans

I agree Someone.
Here in France, we had a lot of people demonstrating against gay marriage. And they where (a lot of them) against gay people.
I don't understand why that kind of ppl want so badly to control the life of the others.

I believe people have a choice to be who they are. I find it ironic that everyone encourages people to be who they truly are, but then frown upon and make those people suffer when they have the courage to be who they want to be. What a hypocritical society we live inn

I feel like this is a hard thing to educate people about because, while transgendered people would be experts on the subject, they would have to find a way of educating people without the ulterior motive of ending violence towards trans people. Here's an analogy: There's a difference between the CDC, who will give you all you need to know about malaria, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, who are dedicated to eradicating it, and, while I believe they would know their stuff, they also want to gain support from the public for their cause - gotta get those Dollars (hah pun) - and might not be as unbiased as a purely educational organization. Perhaps the transgendered community could form one such organization, but they'd have to be willing to submit themselves to the same processes as other educational or research-based organizations.

In relation to the issue of suicide, I think it would help to focus more on ending the overall issue of bullying rather than to only end it for minorities. As a straight, white male, I was bullied by most of the people I knew for roughly 10 years. I went to a lot of smaller schools, so everyone could be turned against a select group of the kids who didn't just gossip and play sports; I didn't do much of either - I liked books a lot more - and it didn't help that I was a ginger. When I went into a larger school, the people who hated me most went on a campaign to make sure I couldn't get into any positive relationships. It was torture, and I considered suicide many times. When I realized I'd never be able to go through with it, I sealed off my feelings and started to just live like a zombie. I eventually had a series of circumstances that allowed me to make a rebound, but I'm still not quite all there, socially speaking.

I didn't get to have a childhood, and no one cared because there was nothing special about me. Red hair doesn't compare to being gay. Being a bit overweight doesn't compare to being black, or a girl. I wasn't taken seriously by anyone who could help. Now I go to a high school with no anti-hate foundation except for the GSA, which might as well be called the LGBTA because they are incredibly inconsiderate of straight members' problems, and no one acknowledges that bullying isn't secluded to just LGBT people.

Which part of you causes you to get flak isn't the problem; the problem is that you get flak in the first place.

.

Transgender people are not something that we need to deepthroat children with. They will understand, in time that this is a thing of the new age and that like other things in life, they just need to tolerate.

^ above the shitposters you go. Bump.