I’m a cis queer Christian girl, and I just wanted to apologize to Leelah. I never met her, or the boy whose body she wore, or any of her friends or family. There is nothing I could have done to save her, but I still have to apologize. I bought into the society that did this to her, that not only did not stop her or save her but that stood by and allowed her to end her life.
When Tumblr, by request of Leelah’s parents, took down Leelah’s tumblr (a backup of which you can find here: http://lazerprincess.soup.io) I saw on tumblr that on Reddit she was known as nostalgiaprincess, and I went and checked her out.
I found a beautiful girl who was full of life; she loved art and video games, and longed for the day she would turn 18 and move out, get her own hormones, and become the girl she really was. She was active on a subreddit where she often gave advice to trans people, mostly girls, who were trying to pass as their transitioning gender. She was a beautiful girl who had so much to offer the world, who could have changed society with her amazing life instead of her untimely death. Her parents deserve only a fraction of the blame. A culture that allows transphobia is truly the culprit.
I’m sorry, Leelah, that I let you die.
RIP => Rest In Power