The death of transgender teen Leelah Alcorn should be a wake up call for Christians

Well said. Gender minorities and frankly other minorities too, don’t choose to be born the way they are. They don’t choose their sexuality or gender anymore than they choose whether they need glasses or are allergic to bees. The hardest thing for the Christian community to grasp is that it’s not sinful to love someone you don’t understand or identify with. Even if you believe that something is a sin, it’s not contagious. You aren’t going to get dirty by allowing the space for people to walk their own journeys. Christ never forced people to follow him, He simply invited them. His rage attacks were saved for the pharisaical self righteous religious leaders. Hate and exclusion is not his method of operation. We fail humanity each time someone chooses to take their lives because they cannot get the words of a believer out of their minds.

I agree that Christians should be a refuge for all LBGT, but do you think Jesus affirms all lifestyles? Are there any lifestyle Jesus says need to change? Thank you for considering.

Also, here’s an article I put together: What Would Jesus Have Said To Someone Like Leelah Alcorn?

http://garrettkell.com/what-would-jesus-have-said-to-leelah-alcorn/

Eliel writes, “…If you’re a Christian who has an LGBT child please affirm them for who God made them to be.”

I would make that better by rewording as follows — “…please affirm them for who God made [or allowed] them to be.”

Three times….three times it is written that ‘all things’ are allowable, lawful and permissible. Surely, an LGBT issue like ‘transgender’ can easily fit into any of those three declarations.

“The church has failed to equip parents with the resources to affirm their transgender Children. Indeed, if the church has done anything it has contributed to a fear mongering narrative that led to the Alcorn’s rejecting Leelah.”

Don’t mistake for a bug what was intended as a feature. Their intentions aren’t good and their ignorance is willful.

“Despite their lack of support for their transgender daughter, which I’m sure came from a lack of understanding, no parents want to bury their child.”

Would they have preferred a living “Josh” over a dead “Josh?” No doubt. Would they have preferred a living Leelah to a dead “Josh?” Don’t be so sure. Not everyone is nice, and assuming that they are won’t make it so.

WASHINGTON

January 2, 2015

Your comment is less than helpful and quite frankly ignorant. Having spent the better part of the past 6 years reporting on cases like this for a national LGBTQ news media operation I can tell you that you need to get educated and quickly.

The only agenda here is to put a stop to the unrelenting attacks on the LGBTQ community and its most vulnerable members predicated on flawed interpretation of some idiotic religious ideology.

Religious liberties and rights DO NOT triumph over nor trump Human Rights. Sadly it seems that this young lady had a better handle on that reality than the adults around her.

Yes, her death needs to be used for activism just as Matt Shepard’s was before her and the list goes on. That troubles you? Well then- do something about it and stop the bigotry and attacks eh?

Well said, Cheryl. I am thinking myself of the Sonny and Cher show on TV I used to watch quite some time ago.

They had a darling daughter named Chastity; that darling daughter has grown up and transformed herself into a man, Chaz.

Although I cannot understand the reason for the change and don’t know anyone personally who has gone through this experience (and my daughter is still a daughter and happy because of it), it appears Chaz is doing fine and that his Mom supports him.

I just know I will always love my daughter, even if she may do things I do not understand or do not agree with……….. 😀

You have “Leelah” in quotes, you’re misgendering her. Have you no shame? You might as well have been driving the truck, the way you’re acting.

Why isn’t the blame laid at the feet of Gays, Lesbians, Bi-Sexuals and Transgendered folk? Why “Christians?” There is nothing wrong to oppose the LGBT culture if you are Bible believing Christians. It utterly tears asunder the whole framework of the New Testament. And maybe that’s the goal. Humanism hasn’t done it. The “New Atheists” haven’t done it. The Democrats haven’t done it. Not even the materialism of the Right Wing has crushed the life out of The Church. But LGBT-ism stands to do just that. To literally alter Christian life into some kind of a cabaret orgy. And the laying on fo blame for some mentally ill child’s suicide if a perfect way to do it. BUT, where is the wonderful promise of a fabulous LGBT life? Why didn’t the lure into the wonderful rainbow splendor of LGBT life make all of troubles for this young man just fade away into a new and joyous life living as a gender he wasn’t born as?

No, no and no. Lay the blame for this suicide precisely where it belongs. The LGBT community.

Ken

“It utterly tears asunder the whole framework of the New Testament.”

Who knew we were so powerful? Who knew that the entirety of Christian thought doesn’t boil down to “Love God. Love your neighbor,” but to “Get the gays.”

The one thing that defines homo-bigoted Christians is their hysteria over the thought that this vicious prejudice is finally going to end.

BTW, you’re dead wrong. They may be your physical children. but they are our spiritual children. and we WILL protect them.

You really took the Bible out of context. The “all things are permissible” passage is Paul talking about Christians arguing about eating food that has or hasn’t been sacrificed to idols. It’s not talking about gender or sexuality issues.

I am Frank “Mike” Davis, Next-Door-Neighbor of Leelah Alcorn (and husband of Annie Davis) writing this Comment: Leelah went to school with my children, and Leelah expressed her utter devastation when Leelah’s parents, upon learning she was “gay”, yanked Leelah from school, confiscated Leelah’s cell phone, deleted Leelah’s facebook profile, and isolated Leelah within her bedroom. She was no longer permitted to associate with my son who shared classes with Leelah at Kings High School. My son supported Leelah’s “coming out” and was one of few people who knew about Leelah’s transgender issues. …Leelah was always kind and soft spoken around me. I deeply regret that Leelah was forbidden to visit our home because my family has always wholeheartedly accepted Leelah without judgment and, maybe…just maybe…this tragedy would not have occurred if we could have shown our love and support for Leelah. …When the grief has been processed, Leelah’s parents need to admit and to believe that they made a mistake, rather than sanitize Leelah’s suicide, before any healing can begin in this Community.

P.S. Must See Excellent Video: http://youtu.be/qW1tuFZ69ps

Effin’ unbelievable. Words fail me–almost. So this is what Christian love, compassion, concern, and intelligence produce. Well, not Christian, but a certain type of so-called Christian, whose wholly imaginary superiority gets called forth whenever anything LGBT comes up.

Not an ounce of sympathy or care, just moralizing, judgment, and despite. Comments like yours are everywhere on the internet where Leelah’s story is being told. It’s sickening.

So much hate and ignorance, bile and despite, in just THREE sentences. If you are told you are damaged, worthless, and an affront to God every day of your childhood, it’s psychological torture of the worst sort. I was subjected to that when I was a child because I was also different. My gay brother was also subjected to that. He’s now my dead gay brother, dead by murder or suicide or both in a Mexican desert. Told by quack therapists that all he needed was to do some pushups or something, have sex with some girl, anything but being told to learn to love himself.

I WILL NEVER FORGIVE THE ANTI-EX-GAY INDUSTRY FOR DEPRIVING ME OF MY BROTHER.

When that is coming form your own parents, your bio-mom and bio-dad that so many so-called Christians insist is a must for every child– despite the evidence– it’s even worse. Being dismissed and rejected by your own parents is also psychological torture.

Here’s a fact for you. Some people– the lucky ones like me– can stand up to it. Some, like my brother, cannot. Suicide was Leelah’s choice, absolutely. That which led to her suicide was not Leelah’s choice, but the choices of her uncompromising parents, her uneducated trash church, and “therapeutic” quacks who prefer their ideology to actual therapy, and who ought to be prosecuted for malpractice.

Unconditional love in emphatically not love that comes with conditions. Leelah’s parents may have loved their son Joshua, and probably miss him. But I suspect that they really didn’t care at all for Leelah, and are glad she is gone.

I have no idea if that’s the case. What I do know is that people whose despite of gay and transgendered children exceeds both their intellectual and compassionate abilities should not be allowed anywhere near such children.

It’s hard being a parent and wanting the best for your children..that said the only thing we can do is to love and accept them without condition, to leave them in the hands of Jesus, to let them know that nothing can take our love away from them. I think this is all we can do.

Well said, Brody.
I want to know exactly what we can do to be more helpful to LGBTQ people.

I agree that we all need to get up to speed fast.

Ben,

“So this is Christian….?”

It is sad, isn’t it? But let’s remember Christianity is – and has always been UGLY, VILE and INTOLERANT. That is its foundation.

SHUN THE SINNER, DISCARD THEM, PUNISH THEM, AVOID THEM:

“Avoid Them”
(Romans 16:17)

“DO NOT ASSOCIATE WITH ANYONE…IF HE IS GUILTY..”
(1 Corinthians 5:11)

“Do not be deceived: Bad company ruins good morals.”
(1 Corinthians 15:33)

This cruelty must end.
Not by law or by decree, but by sensible Christians finally waking up and dumping this divisive, sad nonsense.

@Chris Holly,

“Bring to me those enemies of mine and EXECUTE THEM IN FRONT OF ME.” – JESUS CHRIST (Luke 19:27)

“The master shall cut him to pieces” – JESUS

“Drown him” – JESUS

“They are Dogs” – JESUS

“They are Swine” – JESUS

“They are fools” – JESUS

“HATE YOUR MOTHER and father! hate your family, HATE YOUR CHILDREN – hate your very life” – JESUS (Luke 14:26)

So despicable.

Forget the name-calling, Larry. Besides, nobody is asking you to have any empathy or sympathy (or even rationality) towards these bereaved Christian parents who have had to walk through this situation, and you wouldn’t anyway.

So please continue mindlessly hating on them; it will not make any difference. But do try to understand that absolutely nobody is “rejoicing over the suicide of a confused troubled teen.” Sheesh.

By the way, that’s an interesting choice of adjectives you employed to describe Joshua Alcorn. “Confused” and “troubled.” People on both sides of this issue would agree with your choice of words, and me too. What we don’t agree on, is the difficult issue of transgenderism, and how **Christian** parents should respond to it.

But that’s the rub, isn’t it? You sit on your throne and proclaim that Joshua’s mother drove him to suicide. Why? Because she IS a Christian who not only loved her son but also accepts the Bible’s statements about reality and based her responses towards her own “confused and troubled teen” from that position.

And that’s the one position — biblical Christianity — that you hate most of all in this world.

Hence you have no hesitation at all to toss your blame and hatred on those Christian parents for failing to convert to the LGBT religion and failing to throw in the towel regarding their son’s situation.

Well, I disagree with such hatred, Larry. I really do. I don’t think Joshua’s parents deserves the threats and hate and viciousness that they’re getting. So I am speaking out against it. You don’t have to do that. I’ll do it for you.

By the way, I found a brief article from Denny Burk that expresses much of what I personally believe about the transgenderism situation. May I share that one item, just to let you see where I’m coming from?

http://www.dennyburk.com/how-to-think-and-pray-about-the-suicide-of-a-transgender-teen/#more-29540

Denny Burks comments are justmore of the same. find the answers in the bible. If the bible had any answers on this question, there wouldn’t be one more dead child.

Here isKathy Baldocks answer to Denny Burk.

I would challenge you to take a college-level class or non- biblical based class/seminar on this issue.

The Bible is not a treatise on gender studies. The concept of a person’s gender being incongruent with their biological sex has only gained medical recognition and acceptance within the past 75 years. Looking to the Bible for modern understanding and guidelines on gender is far outside the scope of its intent.

If Christians alone were to treat cancer or any other medical condition per 1st century standards, that would be seen as ridiculous.

I sat in the front row-center listening to you at ERLC. There will come a day when you finally realize that people are transgender and that it is not a moral issue or a condition praying or submission to God will “fix.”

You may then realize the damage YOUR teachings and ideology infused theology has caused.

Until then, PLEASE get out of your Bible bubble and seek EXPERT input. You are wrong on this issue. Your teachings and beliefs are counter to every major professional medical association.

So either all those professionals are wrong, OR, you just might be.

People look to leadership to lead and tell the truth. Find out the truth, then. please, lead in telling it.

———

BTW, Doc, am I ever going to hear from you about your vast error on the subject of To’evah? will you ever explain why you are so virulently antigay?

Those are some interesting remarks from the pro-gay activist Kathy Baldock, Ben. Let me offer a response.

In a nutshell, who is Kathy Baldock? Dr. Michael Brown, while discussing her review of one of Brown’s excellent books, summarizes her position this way:

“While Kathy and I have never met, both of us profess to be committed followers of Jesus and to love the GLBT community, yet we have markedly different perspectives on what the Bible says about homosexual practice and on what our response to homosexuality should be.”

That sounds about right. But actually, Dr. Brown is being a bit charitable. For Kathy Baldock’s stated perspectives on what the Bible says on topics like homosexuality / gay marriage, are as wrong as a 3-dollar bill.

She had better not EVER engage either Michael Brown or Denny Burk in a one-on-one public debate (whether a university, church, or internet venue) regarding the Bible’s position regarding homosexuality, gay marriage, or transgenderism. If she does, she will lose very clearly and very badly.

So it does not surprise me to see Baldock calling on Denny Burk to simply abandon the Bible’s perspective on these issues (in this case transgenderism), and instead to “seek EXPERT input.”

Well, let’s work with that for a second. Burk wrote, “You are going to hear some people claim that transgender feelings in children are fixed and immutable. What you likely won’t hear is that about 70%-80% of children who report having transgender feelings eventually grow out of them.”

Well, believe it or not Ben, that IS some “expert input” right there on the table, that Professor Burk provided. Here’s the proof:

“Over the past 30 years, Dr. Kenneth Zucker, a psychologist and head of the gender-identity service at the Center for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto, has worked with about 500 preadolescent gender-variant children. In his studies, 80 percent grow out of the behavior, but 15 to 20 percent continue to be distressed about their gender and may ultimately change their sex.” — from the article “Child Healing: Strengthening Familes”, (Institute of Marital Healing, psychiatrist Dr. Rick Fitzgibbons and staff, Catholic-oriented), located at:
http://www.childhealing.com/articles/genderidentitydisorder.php

So yes, Kathy’s request for “expert input” was already included by Burk anyway.

Therefore, while I sincerely thank Ben for taking the time to read Denny Burk’s article and search for any rational criticisms of it, (You see what Ben did, Larry? That’s what YOU should have been able to do!), I nevertheless find Denny Burk to be far more convincing than Kathy Baldock on these important issues. It is Burk, NOT Baldock, who is providing the correct leadership around here.

On another issue, I would be happy to re-visit the to’evah abomination issue if you like. I think the Bible is pretty clear on it.