Today, GLAAD spokesperson Tiq Milan spoke to MSNBC News Nation's Ayman Mohyeldin about the tragic suicide of transgender 17-year-old girl, Leelah Alcorn, in Kings Mills, Ohio, and the harmful use of so-called "conversion therapy" on LGBT people. A Tumblr post written by Leelah that was scheduled to publish after her death is being seen as a call to action by transgender advocates and allies, and a conversation is underway on social media with many using the hashtags #LeelahAlcorn and #RealLiveTransAdult.
Leelah's Tumblr post noted her mother's negative reaction to her coming out as transgender. When asked what he would tell parents who don't know how to react to their child coming out as transgender, Milan responded:
"I would tell parents that when you love someone unconditionally, there is no 'but' after it. And what we need to do is to give young people the space to develop into their most authentic and healthiest selves by determining who they are. And that's the thing about gender; gender is something that is self-determined and is not imposed. So I can't debate how much [Leelah's parents] loved their child, because I'm sure they did, but there is obviously a huge gap there, and there is obviously some misunderstanding that's happened between them."
Watch the full interview with GLAAD's Tiq Milan below: