A transman, Andi Woodhouse will be remembered with a vigil this coming Saturday at 2PM. Andy’s story became more public by Sue Kerr at Pittsburgh Lesbian Correspondents after she had posted about Leelah Alcorn, and she was contacted by someone close to Andi. We don’t have to look far to see how homophobia and transphobia creates a hellish space within which trans persons see no way out except suicide. Details for the vigil are on this Facebook page.

Across the web, calls abound for legislation and protection for trans persons. This is needed, but I hope we begin to see more calls for changes in community awareness, and action.  Laws in and of themselves won’t stop these suicides, and until we have them, we, as a community need other mechanisms and ways that we support each other so that no one is left to sink so low into depression and suicide.