#JamForLeelah Honors Teen With Trans Positive Game Jam

Leelah Alcorn was a teenager whose suicide reignited conversation about transgender life all around the world. The American teenager, looking for a support network for her transgender identity, turned to her parents, who instead locked her out of friends and online life. Her suicide note on the social site Tumblr gave hope to those willing to make change and improve the situation of individuals across the LGBTQIA spectrum.

#JamForLeelah begins on January 17th (pay no attention to the dates below the banner!) to honor her death. As Alcorn was an avid gamer, the idea to make a Game Jam originated on Twitter.

“That hopelessness that you feel in the face of such senseless tragedy can be repurposed to spread awareness and understanding, helping teach people about the struggles that all oppressed minorities face,” said Kara Jayne, one of the administrators helping with the Jam. “Games are such an important medium for spreading awareness and have a powerful ability to tell unique narratives from interesting perspectives. They also allow the designer and the player to share social concepts and themes via mechanics.”

The month-long game jam aims to raise awareness regarding trans-positivity and trans-youth issues. All the money fundraised through the event will go to charities like the Transgender Law Center and the Sylvia Rivera Law Project. Any participant who submits a game has the option of creating a paywall to collect donations for the games, or ask for a signature on a petition for the Leelah Law to end transgender conversion therapy. In order to have a valid entry for the jam, a game must adhere to the following: Either center on transgender themes and issues, draw inspiration from Leelah’s art and work, or invoke themes Leelah was interested in, such as female empowerment, fashion, anime, etc. Only one of these requirements needs to be fulfilled, though. Participants are asked to not create an in-game representation of Leelah.

“Maybe once these ideas are shared enough, they will be more deeply understood, and we can help build support networks for those like Leelah who cannot see a way out of their current situation,” Jayne said.

Additionally, as a proud sponsor of this event, every participant in #JamForLeelah will receive a 12-month digital subscription to the Indie Game Magazine! Check out our latest issue here.

For details on how to get involved, head over to the #JamForLeelah page for information on rules, submitting, and how to contact the organizers.