BY HEATHER DOCKRAY
When 17-year-old transgender teen Leelah Alcorn died by suicide in 2014, it made national headlines — and hit some parents painfully and particularly hard.
Roz Keith was one of those parents. Keith’s teenage son had just come out to her as trans a year earlier. She was in the middle of her own parenting journey, and it was “devastating and heartbreaking,” Keith told Mashable, to think that Alcorn may have died by suicide “in part because she didn’t have parent support.” Alcorn’s parents wouldn’t refer to Leelah as a girl. They had sent her to conversion therapy to help correct her gender identity.
At the time, Keith was participating in a Facebook group for parents of trans youth. She and another mother started thinking about ways Leelah’s parents and even they, as strangers, could have done more to help youth like Leelah.
That’s how Keith came up with Ally Moms…
Read more at Mashable.com.
Hey I am a transgender male to be a female
I just learned that my child seriously contemplated suicide as a teen. We didn’t know at the time how they identified (or whether they knew themselves). I hope to think that as bleeding heart liberals we never seemed prejudiced. I feel helpless, and selfish, and alone. And I hurt so much for my child that they suffered so much.
Oh, Ruth. That is so hard! I hope your child is doing better. We do have a non-binary young adult group (ages 18-25) depending on how they identify, if they’re looking for support. We also have parent support/discussion groups if you’re interested in talking with other parents. <3
i’m a trans boy and it hurts so much whenever my mom calls me her daughter i just want her to see me as her son
I know how you feel i wish my mom would stop calling me her daughter but then again i have not come completly out yet
My child ran away and I had no idea what they were going through because I thought we shared everything. I learned years later that she is transgender. I would have done anything to support my child through this transition and have raised them to be completely open to all. I have no idea where I failed my child that they didn’t feel I could be supportive of their journey. It breaks my heart even more to know that they didn’t feel that Coukd be helpful to them. To know they did this at times feeling alone kills me. The loss of my child is something I have never overcome, but I am grateful that she is finding her way with help and guidance 🙏. I will never give up hope that my best friend will want to come back into my life again one day. I love my child more than anything! Are there any support groups for parents who have lost their children in this way?
Hi Becky,
What a situation! I feel for you and for your child that this is how their transition played out.
I googled and didn’t come up with support groups for this specific kind of situation, unfortunately. I’m sure you’re not alone in that kind of experience, but I haven’t seen groups that specialize in that in particular.
Hopefully you’re able to make contact with your child in the future and reconnect.
Best,
Cameron