Leelah Alcorn was a transgender 17-year-old who killed herself early in the month. She was hit by a truck while on a walk in Ohio. Her parents, who refused to accept their child was transgender, are being scolded by society because of this death. Instead of supporting their child, they sent Leelah (born as Josh) to “corrective therapy.” In a CNN interview, Carla Alcorn still referred to her child as her son, and used male pronouns.

Alcorn was an active Tumblr user, where she left her suicide note citing her parents as the reason she chose to end her life. In that note she also urged to create a change in the world, so that corrective therapy would be illegal and people could be more accepting of transgender people everywhere. Since this, Tumblr has deleted her blog all together. On Facebook, Carla Alcorn posted about her child’s death. She still referred to her as Josh, and said “he” multiple times.

The suicide has caused an outrage on social media, especially Tumblr. Tweets with the hashtag “#LeelahAlcorn” provided positive messages to other transgender people who do not feel safe or happy with their lives. Other users on Tumblr started to screenshot Leelah’s note and post it so people could witness and read the heartbreaking message. Responses to the note were very emotional and also very powerful. Many users admitted how they felt guilty for Leelah being buried wearing a suit, which further progressed to disbelief when people realized the name on the grave would be Josh instead of Leelah.

A tragic death can actually be useful, which is what Leelah wanted more than anything. This situation has caused uproar of support for transgender youth and adults. There are many ways someone can support the transgender community. There are fundraisers for transition surgery and simple ways to spread awareness. The most effective way to help someone is to be his or her friend, and listen, which Carla Alcorn just could not do.