Leelah Alcorn's Death Inspires Fastest Growing Change.Org Petition Of 2014

When transgender teen Leelah Alcorn tragically took her life just days after Christmas, she left behind a note that told the world she wanted her death to mean something.

Alcorn, a vicitm of conversion therapy at the hands of her parents, left the note on her Tumblr account. In response, a Change.org petition was launched that called on lawmakers to enact a federal law that bans conversion therapy -- resulting in the fastest going Change.org petition of 2014. Jennell Jaquays of the Transgender Human Rights Institute joined HuffPost Live host Alyona Minkovski to discuss the incredible response:

"There are two states now and the District of Columbia who have made it illegal to apply [conversion therapy] to youth... we launched the petition not long after Leelah's death. We saw the need, we saw her cry out for her death to have meaning... within 24 hours we had 100,000 signatures. The people at Change.org contacted us and let us know that was the fastest growing petition of 2014. Currently, the last update I had from our organization was 175 supporters away from 300,000 supporters."

Check out the rest of the clip above.