“The White House formally responded to a petition on WeThePeople.gov today seeking a ban on efforts to change the sexual orientation or gender identity of young people, the The New York Timesreports.
The petition called for the creation of “Leelah’s Law,” ideally national legislation that would prohibit licensed therapists from engaging in the scientifically discredited practice of so-called conversion therapy.The petition on the government’s We the People website was authored in the wake of transgender Ohio teenager Leelah Alcorn’s suicide. In a note that went viral after she scheduled it to post to Tumblr after her death, the 17-year-old Alcorn detailed the harm she endured when subjected to conversion therapy by a Christian therapist she was taken to by her parents. The petition obtained more than 100,000 signatures in January, triggering a formal response from the White House.
Noting that the practice is often used on minors, “who lack the legal authority to make their own medical and mental health decisions,” senior White House adviser Valerie Jarrett offered a full-throated support from the administration toward efforts to ban such “therapy,” which has been denounced by every major medical and mental health organization in the country as not only ineffective but likely to harm.
“We share your concern about its potentially devastating effects on the lives of transgender as well as gay, lesbian, bisexual, and queer youth,” Jarrett wrote Wednesday night in the White House’s formal response to the petition.
“When assessing the validity of conversion therapy, or other practices that seek to change an individual’s gender identity or sexual orientation, it is as imperative to seek guidance from certified medical experts,” the statement continued. “The overwhelming scientific evidence demonstrates that conversion therapy, especially when it is practiced on young people, is neither medically nor ethically appropriate and can cause substantial harm.
“As part of our dedication to protecting America’s youth, this Administration supports efforts to ban the use of conversion therapy for minors,” the statement concluded.
The official response also included remarks from the president, who stopped short of outright endorsing national legislation — which has yet to be introduced — to ban such efforts. However, the official response did mention bans on the use of such “therapy” on minors in California, New Jersey, and Washington, D.C.
“Tonight, somewhere in America, a young person, let’s say a young man, will struggle to fall to sleep, wrestling alone with a secret he’s held as long as he can remember,” said President Obama in a statement. “Soon, perhaps, he will decide it’s time to let that secret out. What happens next depends on him, his family, as well as his friends and his teachers and his community. But it also depends on us — on the kind of society we engender, the kind of future we build.”
Transgender advocates applauded the administration’s action.”
this is a collection of her photos, drawings and her suicide note,
this is so even if her mom deletes her blog, everything is saved,
her blog has already been removed and posts are being removed. dont stop reblogging this, dont let them silence us, dont let Leelah Alcorn be forgotten
today’s video explores the horrific abuses that Leelah Alcorn and other LGBT kids are legally subjected to. prepare to feel like you’ve stepped into the dark ages.
17-year old Ohio transgender teen Leelah Alcorn took her life last weekend. Her Tumblr posts were tragic, but her Reddit posts pose serious questions about how she was treated.
I think that everybody interested in the Leelah Alcorn story needs to read this, because it is proof positive that her parents were lying on CNN and her situation was even worse than the suicide note implied.
guys, the petition for Leelah’s Law (to ban conversion therapy) was overlooked by president Obama even though it had the appropriate amount of signatures. there is another petition on the white house’s website that will be considered if it reaches the required number of signatures. i’m not from the US so i can’t sign it but if you are you can sign it here. please guys this shit needs to end.
She’s thinking about her religion when she should be thinking about her daughter
The thing is she didn’t love her daughter unconditionally. That’s the opposite of what she did. This makes me so fucking angry because this woman clearly doesn’t understand the meaning of the words she’s saying. UNCONDITIONAL MEANS LOVE WITHOUT BOUNDS, YOU DIDNT LOVE HER YOU LOVED /HIM/ WHICH ISNT WHAT LEELAH WAS.
Leelah’s final wish was for everything she had to go towards transgender charities. Due to the circumstances it’s doubtful her parents will follow through with her wishes. Please consider donating to places like TransOhio, Kaleidoscope Youth Center, or Trans Lifeline in her honor.
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