On December 27th, 17 year old trans teen Leelah Alcorn tragically committed suicide by stepping in front of a semi-truck in her hometown of Kings Mill, OH. She posted a suicide note on her Tumblr blog shortly before she killed herself repeatedly mentioning that she had been forced to christian conversion therapy. This was one of the reasons she finally decided it wasn't worth it anymore. Another quote from her note:

“The only way I will rest in peace is if one day transgender people aren’t treated the way I was, they’re treated like humans, with valid feelings and human rights. Gender needs to be taught about in schools, the earlier the better. My death needs to mean something…Fix society. Please.”

This is so important to me because even though I am not trans I need to know that everyone is treated the same no matter what gender they are or are not. They are not currently and that makes me angry. Humans are all of the same worth and if we are willing to say that someone is not worth as much as the next just because the body they were born in doesn't fit the person they have inside, then we have a serious problem on our hands.

Conversion therapy, a practice used often by christians, but not always, that aims to change sexual orientation and gender, if it isn't the one on your birth certificate, has been disavowed by multiple major medical associations, including the American Medical Association and the American Psychological Association.

However, it is still legal in Pennsylvania which I think is inhumane and disgusting. We need to stop this despicable practice before more people are forced into unwilling change of who they truly are.

And yet, conversion therapy is still legal in Pennsylvania.