Petition to White House to enact Leelah’s Law needs 30,000 names in five days

With only a few days to go until its deadline, a petition to the White House to enact a federal law banning the controversial practice of ‘conversion therapy’ has reached two-thirds of its target.

17-year-old Alcorn from Ohio posted a heartbrekaing suicide note on Tumblr, citing her parent’s refusal to accept her trans status, and calling for better education and awareness, as she was subjected to ‘conversion therapy’, before taking her own life by stepping in front of a truck.

Despite the death, her mother Carla Alcorn continued to refuse to use female pronouns, saying: “We don’t support that”.

The petition has been named after an Ohio transgender teenager who took her own life by stepping in front of a truck last month.

At time of publication it had reached 68,273 signatures, and required 31,727 more in order to prompt a reply from the White House. It does not guarantee legislation, but increases the possibility of action being taken.

A second petition, not time limited, has been signed over 330,000 times on Change.org.

The venue for Alcorn’s funeral was changed at last minute, as the Northeast Church of Christ in Cincinnati cited “threats” against the Alcorn family.

Amazon’s ‘Transparent’ won Best Television Series at the Golden Globes at the weekend, and the show’s writer took to the stage to dedicate the honour to Alcorn.

Soloway said: “This award is dedicated to Leelah Alcorn and transgender people who died too young.”

“This award is dedicated to the memory of Leelah Alcorn … And I just want to thank you for coming out,” Soloway continued.

“Maybe we’ll teach the world something about authenticity, and truth, and love…. to love.”

• Oct 11

National Coming Out Day: Every celebrity who’s come out as LGBTQ+ in 2024 so far