Don’t believe me? 41% of transgender youth report that they have attempted (not contemplated — actually attempted) death by suicide at least once. Not because they are mentally ill ( sorry to burst your bubble, trolls ), and not because we forced our kid to be transgender (it took years of him insisting to us that this is who he is , before my husband and I finally understood him). These deaths are the direct result of the systemic discrimination that leads people to believe it’s okay to harass, bully, and attack transgender people; that they are dispensable. It’s the result of the rhetoric from elected officials, especially, that says it’s perfectly okay to question whether my son’s identity is real and valid, and whether he or people like him have any right to exist.