Tesia Samara: Transgender teen's suicide leaves unanswered questions
Christopher Brownlee found her hanging in the garage from a thick black rope used to walk the dogs. Christopher and his mother had long since accepted Ben as Tesia Samara - a girl who, in her own words, was "trapped in a 'male' body." The pressure of being different in the small town of Rockdale, Texas, proved too much for her. Now, more than a month after her suicide, the press is taking notice now that her mother, Karen Johle, has decided to find out what really happened. Tesia had been in counseling, her therapist believed her thoughts of suicide had lessened. While her family accepted her as Tesia, school was another story. Tesia was in contact with a transgender guest she had seen on Oprah and was determined to begin hormone therapy and have a sex-change operation. Johle believes something happened after school that day that led to Tesia taking her own life. There are rumors that some classmates had assaulted and urinated on her. Police believe it is just a rumor, but Johle feels differently.
Texas Triangle
« Read Previous Post | Queer Day Home | Read Next Story »
