The transgender community mourns the loss of yet another transgender youth, Tesia Samara, 15, who committed suicide on November 18, 2003. According to the Texas Triangle, Tesia was transsexual and lived in the small town of Rockdale, Texas, where the pressures of being different became too much for her.
What's especially tragic about this story is how far Tesia had gotten--after watching an Oprah show on transgenderism, she decided she wanted to begin hormone therapy and wanted to have a sex-change operation. She had researched gender dysphoria and had been taking hormones for three months. She even came out to her family and had their support as well as the support of a few friends.
School though, was another issue. There are rumors that she was assaulted at school the same day of the suicide, possibly triggering it. She was also taunted and called �gay boy, fag boy, hair girl" among other things every day at school.
Tesia seemed to have done everything she could have done to keep her sanity. She came out to her family and friends. She researched transgenderism on the internet. She started transitioning. She was seeing a therapist. She wrote poetry about it. She even asked her teachers for help, writing, �I mainly run into sticky situations at school... I wanted you to know this so that maybe you can help me to avoid some the hard and embarrassing times I could have. So if you happen to call me �her� on accident, let�s just say that I wouldn�t be unhappy.�
It takes unbelievable amounts of cruelty to drive someone to take their own life away. And requests for help like this should be taken more seriously. Still, this teacher and the boys who taunted her are not to blame, but society is for making the boys think that it was ok to treat her like that. So let's start changing it.
To people who taunt people like Tesia--your words have power. Speak carefully. Treat others as you would have them treat you. Have empathy for those different than you. Not everything you don't understand is wrong. Learn how to heal from pain given to you instead of passing it on.
And to trans youth like Tesia...Things will get better. You're on the right track. Don't give up. College is a whole other world than you know. High school isn't real. When you get older you can become independent and control your own life. And not everywhere is like Rockwell, Texas. Hold on.
The transgender community mourns the loss of yet another transgender youth, Tesia Samara, 15, who committed suicide on November 18, 2003. According to the Texas Triangle, Tesia was transsexual and lived in the small town of Rockdale, Texas, where the pressures of being different became too much for her.
What's especially tragic about this story is how far Tesia had gotten--after watching an Oprah show on transgenderism, she decided she wanted to begin hormone therapy and wanted to have a sex-change operation. She had researched gender dysphoria and had been taking hormones for three months. She even came out to her family and had their support as well as the support of a few friends.
School though, was another issue. There are rumors that she was assaulted at school the same day of the suicide, possibly triggering it. She was also taunted and called �gay boy, fag boy, hair girl" among other things every day at school.
Tesia seemed to have done everything she could have done to keep her sanity. She came out to her family and friends. She researched transgenderism on the internet. She started transitioning. She was seeing a therapist. She wrote poetry about it. She even asked her teachers for help, writing, �I mainly run into sticky situations at school... I wanted you to know this so that maybe you can help me to avoid some the hard and embarrassing times I could have. So if you happen to call me �her� on accident, let�s just say that I wouldn�t be unhappy.�
It takes unbelievable amounts of cruelty to drive someone to take their own life away. And requests for help like this should be taken more seriously. Still, this teacher and the boys who taunted her are not to blame, but society is for making the boys think that it was ok to treat her like that. So let's start changing it.
To people who taunt people like Tesia--your words have power. Speak carefully. Treat others as you would have them treat you. Have empathy for those different than you. Not everything you don't understand is wrong. Learn how to heal from pain given to you instead of passing it on.
And to trans youth like Tesia...Things will get better. You're on the right track. Don't give up. College is a whole other world than you know. High school isn't real. When you get older you can become independent and control your own life. And not everywhere is like Rockwell, Texas. Hold on.