Recently Tumblr had exploded when a transgender girl named Leelah
Alcorn left a suicide note that was scheduled to post a few hours after
her death, and when her death made it into the news, everyone soon knew
the gravity of her suicide note as more than just someone who was
seeking attention and reacted rather huge.
Here are some links of the issue:
Leelah's Suicide Note
Leelah's Wikipedia page
News about her death:
jezebel.com/mom-on-suicide-of-…
www.wcpo.com/news/local-news/w…
www.independent.co.uk/news/wor…
www.ibtimes.com/leelah-alcorns…
I was completely
enraged at how bigoted and radical Leelah's parents were for not
accepting her as their daughter, and even during their interview, they
still continued to call her as their SON rather than their DAUGHTER, as
if to completely not acknowledge her true gender and pretend that her
coming out never happened. They are completely dishonouring her life and
her death by denying her her true gender, and they don't seem to be
sorry about that. Like they rather have a dead son than a living
daughter.
I was very, VERY tempted to join all those
internet vigilantes out there to exact revenge on Leelah's parents. I even went
to her mother's Facebook page and I was tempted to click on the message
icon so that I can send her a very explicitly worded message to her
about her actions. But in the end, I didn't, because this would not
bring Leelah back, and it's not exactly the change Leelah would've
wanted us to do. And also I would be giving in to hate and it pretty
much stoops me to the parents' level and innocent people might get hurt.
So I didn't go through with it.
But that doesn't mean I was willing to let it go and not do something about it.
So I drew this.
Leelah's plight reminded me of my friend
,
who was the luckier one in young transgenders' battle to be recognized.
We have been friends for quite a long time, I don't even remember for
how long, but it's definitely more than 5 years, prolly. He started off
as a she, being my greatest fan of my arts and found me through dA, and
we were very comfortable with each other. I was surprised at first that
he looked almost exactly like me, so I dubbed him "my doppelganger", and
even my hubs agree that we were very much alike.
We talked about
almost everything, and our thoughts are often in sync with each other.
We were the personification of "Great minds think alike" and there was
nothing too taboo that we can't discuss. As I got to know him more (when
he was still a she), I found out that he has a girlfriend, so my first
assumption was that he (she) was a lesbian. I have friends who were bi,
and I have friends who were practically asexual, so hearing him saying
that he's (she) into girls didn't phase me much. It just made our
friendship even more interesting.
Over the years, I watched him
change, getting shorter and shorter haircuts and dressing up more and
more masculine as the years went by. I didn't think much of it, even
celebrated his changes as I assume that since he (she) was the pants in
the lesbian relationship, he was just looking the part. It was only
until quite recently a few months ago around this year that he decided
to come out as a transgender boy. He announced his true gender to me and
told me that I am the first of few to know that he is now officially a
boy.
I'll admit that I was taken quite by surprise, but it wasn't
a negative reaction. I realize that all this time, with his
relationship with women while a girl, his haircut, his dress-up, he was
slowly but surely transitioning himself to be who he truly is. And the
way it looks, it seems that his family and friends are quite accepting
of his transition, and I was one of his first online friends to come out
to. Of course, I try to help him spread the word to my other chat
friends who knows him or is acquainted to him, doing my part to let them
know his true gender.
After the Leelah suicide news, I decided to draw this, to express as much context as I could the friendship between
and I shared throughout his transitioning, and it was also my way to
contribute to the tribute for Leelah's death. Of course, I shared this
picture to
first as I thought he should be the first to see my art before I post it in dA.
His
reaction was beyond my expectation. He was literally moved to tears,
and was practically speechless, and he even posted it onto his tumblr
here
to share it with the world, and if I weren't at the office at the time
when he gave me the link to read on his tumblr post, I would've actually
cried with him.
I feel kinda awkward, I didn't think it would have that much of an impact. I
mean technically while I did not grow up in a super religious family, I
was never really raised to accept people other than the norm, but
thanks to the internet, I was exposed to quite a number of these issues,
and something in me just feels like I need to do my part, saying that
even if I don't like something, I should tolerate it and not give in to
hate, and I believe everyone deserves love, no matter what or who they
are. Also if I am passionate about something, I should show my support,
in whatever way I can, regardless the consequences.
At least that's what I believe.
I'm
just doing my part for society, is all. It reli is NBD to me,
technically, but I can see my gesture is a big deal to many that holds
this issue near and dear to their heart. But then again it's prolly my
Asian-raised qualities to be modest, so it felt like it's NBD. So when I
got such an overwhelming response over my insignificant art from a
person, I felt a little awkward. Not a bad awkward, a good awkward.
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.
It will mean something,
Leelah. Your death may not be unique, but it is the spark that will
ignite the flames of the people to rally against the injustice done to
your people and will one day unite us all and change the world.
RIP, Leelah Alcorn. You will be remembered.
Forever.