Yesterday someone left a comment on my rebuttal to Sarah Ditum suggesting it would be more helpful to post links to writing by transgender women on the subject, and I was like, “Hey, that is a great idea!” and said I would do that today. However, I find myself in a precarious mental health state this morning (probably all the holiday stress catching up to me) and I just can’t tackle the task. If you have links to posts, articles, etc. written by transgender women in rebuttal to Ditum’s piece, please post them in the comments section. Or, heck, anything you’ve read from transgender women regarding Leelah Alcorn, go ahead and post it here.
I want to stress that this isn’t because I don’t care, but because I have mental health issues that crop up at inconvenient times (and I feel like an asshole for even bringing it up in conjunction with this topic, I swear I’m not trying to make it all about me although I’m sure it comes off that way). I recognize that I have the privilege of walking away from a topic that doesn’t endanger me personally, but I am trying to avoid a full-blown mental health crisis and I feel that reading about suicide isn’t safe for me at this time.
But we do have a wide readership here, so signal boost away in the comments!
As a very quick response, here is a list of links to articles, most of which I believe are written by trans people (although your previous article is on the list Jenny!).
Also, on Wednesday there was a discussion with a number of trans women broadcast on the BBC World Service: here is a transcription (along with a link to the recording).
Hope that helps.
Leelah Alcorn suicide note: Why I believe the media were right to share it: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/leelah-alcorn-suicide-note-believe-4907445?utm_content=buffer22e2b&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer
An Open Letter To The Parents Of Transgender Teen Leelah Alcorn: http://www.ravishly.com/2014/12/31/open-letter-leelah-alcorn-parents
BBC Have Your Say 31/12/14 discussion of Leelah Alcorn’s death: a transcript: http://stavvers.wordpress.com/2015/01/02/bbc-have-your-say-311214-discussion-of-leelah-alcorns-death-a-transcript/
(stavvers isn’t trans, but all the people speaking in the transcript are.)
Listening to the Living and the Dead: Ruminations on #justiceforLeelahAlcorn (Tw: Suicide): http://b.binaohan.org/blog/listening-to-the-living-and-the-dead-ruminations-on-number-justiceforleelahalcorn/
Really good post
Read and shared on my fb.
Good call, Jenny. I don’t have a link, I just came on here to wish you the best today and applaud you for setting healthy boundaries if you feel you need them (fellow mental illness sufferer speaking here). May your recovery be speedy and your mental stability in line with your complete awesomeness very soon!
Agreed!
Remembering Leelah: https://faeinterrupted.wordpress.com/2015/01/02/remembering-leelah/
To save trans lives; listen to Leelah: http://uncommon-scents.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/to-save-trans-lives-listen-to-leelah.html?m=1
Most trans suicides are murder: http://kazenokae.blogspot.com.au/2015/01/most-trans-suicides-are-murder.html?m=1
Don’t Tell Trans People To Empathize With Bigoted Parents: http://reclaimingwarlock.blogspot.co.uk/2014/12/dont-tell-trans-people-to-empathize.html?m=1
Thank you, René!
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/01/01/dear-leelah-we-will-fight-on-for-you-a-letter-to-a-dead-trans-teen.html
I found this incredibly moving.
No apologies needed Jen, while we love that you try, most of us Trout Nation citizens don’t actually hold you solely and personally responsible for saving the world 😉 Take care of you first!
I know, I just don’t like saying, “Yes, I am listening and will do this thing,” and then not follow through. 🙂
As the person who made the suggestion, I’d like to second this. I do not expect you to sacrifice your mental health. Please take care of yourself!
[…] For people looking for resources for trans teens , a couple of places to start might be here or […]
No need to apologize! Torturing yourself serves no one. For anyone interested in a positive resource, check out the hashtag #RealLiveTransAdult, where trans people in their 20s-30s are sharing stories of how they’ve built happy and fulfilling lives, even if they didn’t start transition until well into adulthood.
I wrote this http://wp.me/p3c55-Aq Ditum’s concern trolling is tiresome.
You’re awesome, Jenny. Avoiding triggers when you feel an attack coming on lets you live to fight another day — and you’ve found a way to keep fighting anyway! If I ever decide to grow up, I want to be like you, or possibly Carol Burnett.
Signal boosting eastsidekate’s piece from Shakesville: “Cis Allies and Trans Suicides”
http://www.shakesville.com/2015/01/cis-allies-and-trans-suicide.html
“…cis people need to respond to this suicide in a very different way than trans people do. That’s a very, very important point, and I want to take some time to spell out why.”
It’s not quite what you’re looking for, but I ran into this doing some homework, and I thought it was an interesting read, since a lot of things out there tends to be US-based, and the experient of a Canadian trans woman seems to be somewhat different.
http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/the-road-to-inclusion-transgender-health-care-in-canada/
Erm, sorry, “experience”. This is what I get typing while actually doing said homework 😛
I tried to take a more balanced approach and not focus so much on the whole “the parents are murderers” trope.
http://www.lifeisgoodmakeitbetter.com/2015/01/the-lessons-for-transgender-community.html
This happened just north of where I live, so it’s been the local news a lot. One station felt the need to defend its coverage, which I’ll just leave here without comment: http://www.wcpo.com/news/wcpo-editor-mike-canan-offers-more-explanation-on-the-leelah-alcorn-story
Aside from that, my heart goes out to her. This is devastating.