By Ijpe DeKoe Tennessee Marriage Case Plaintiff Thom was my childhood sweetheart. We met in 1999 when we were in our late teens and working as camp counselors that summer. We knew there was something special in one another and maintained a close friendship for a decade before finally admitting that we were perfect together. In 2011, we got engaged. Soon after, we were married in New York—while I was on a three days pass from my mobilization training at FT. Dix, NJ. A week later I began my nine...
Date
Month: January 2015
The suicide of transgender teen Leelah Alcorn has prompted widespread media attention, including a focus on her description of how being sent to conversion therapy increased her sense of isolation and rejection. Now more than ever before, it is clear that there is an urgent need for more public discussion and education around the harms caused by conversion therapy. But some aspects of the recent conversations have been troubling. I’ve spent the last several years working with survivors of...
“We are who we are, and there’s very little we can do to change our core. If we’re asked to change, there will be a chasm so deep inside of us that it will threaten our very life.” –Jodie Patterson, mother of transgender child The suicide last week of 17-year-old transgender girl Leelah Alcorn was a soul-crushing reminder of how our society is failing our transgender youth. Leelah’s parents rejected who she was and subjected her to conversion therapy, apparently believing the...
