Protecting trans youth: in honor of nex benedict

Trans Rights are woman’s rights

I have found myself shaking and quivering for the past two weeks. Not out of fear or intimidation, but anger – red hot anger, righteous anger. Nex Benedict, a 16 year old non-binary student in Oklahoma, was brutally beaten on February 7th 2024. Nex was assaulted in a school bathroom that they were forced to use due to the school’s, and Oklahoma’s, strict policies regarding gender. After the beating was broken up, the school failed to have Nex seen by the nurse, call 911 or call Nex’s guardians. The school then suspended Nex for two weeks. Nex passed away the following day, February 8th, 2024.

Nex’s story is shared by many other Trans youth who died too young. How do we as a society allow this to continue? Where is the disconnect? Groups cheer “pro life,” yet turn their head when the child comes out as queer. It’s “all lives matter” until its your child who seeks to explore the gendered children’s clothes.

My heart aches. The grief becomes overwhelming, but we continue to write. We continue to tell their stories, and we promise to do better. We must do better. Anti-trans rhetoric spreads quickly, but we shout, we scream, and we protest louder than the sounds of hate. We become killjoys in the process. We remind the world of the names that belong to friends who now rest in power – even when some would rather forget.

Here, I stand firmly and say Trans Rights are Feminist Rights. To be a feminist, you must be Trans-inclusive. As feminists, we bear the responsibility to utilize an intersectional lens. We use our platforms and voices to talk about injustices, and we uplift the voices who continue to be marginalized and forgotten.

“Over time, with experience, you sense that something is wrong or you have a feeling of being wronged. You sense an injustice.”

– Sarah Ahmed

To Nex and all other Trans youth, we see you, we love you, and we will continue to fight for you.