Content Warning: This article contains mentions of queerphobia and violence against the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.
Illuminated only by the lights of flameless candles, on the stairs of Fredericton’s City Hall rested the photo of Nex Benedict, a Texas-born child who has united an entire community under grief and frustration.
Benedict was only 16 years old when they passed away on Feb 8. While the exact cause of death hasn’t been confirmed yet, it came a day after a group of six students beat them up in their Owasso High School’s bathroom, in Oklahoma.
Over 60 people gathered at City Hall to share their condolences, as well as to express their concerns about a recent wave of queerphobia.
“It’s one of the bravest things … Becoming their true authentic selves, transitioning at such a young age,” said Nicki Lyons-MacFarlane, chair of the Imprint Youth Association.
Related: Policy 713 advocates victims of online threats, hate
Lyons-MacFarlane highlighted the wave of transphobia and queerphobia in the United States and Canada as responsible for this and many other attacks against the community.
Between Oct. 1, 2022, and Sept. 30, 2023, 320 trans people were killed globally, according to Trans Murder Monitoring.
“Nex could be any one of us standing here,” they said. “Nex should have gone off to graduate school, should go on to become who they are meant to be and be with their friends right now instead.”
During the minute of silence, some attendees were flooded with tears, while others held their loved ones in embrace.
According to Benedict’s mother, the 16-year-old was relentlessly bullied for being gender-nonconforming in an ever-more transphobic school environment. Oklahoma is one of the states that has passed multiple anti-trans bills in schools, one of which forces people like Benedict to use a bathroom that does not correspond with their gender.
To volunteer Jenna Albert, New Brunswick’s revised Policy 713 and the inspired bills that came after in Saskatchewan and Alberta are having a similar effect on school environments, making it less safe for 2SLGBTQIA+ students.
“We’re hoping to see change because it impacts kids like Nex,” they said. “And frankly, it’s irresponsible for those lawmakers, they are enabling people to treat trans and non-binary kids cruelly.”
Related: ‘It absolutely crushed me’: Student reacts to school before, during, after Policy 713
From a beautiful and angry poem to a soft guitar song, people had different ways to honour the memory of Benedict and other victims of queerphobic violence.
The organizers opened the floor for all attendees to voice their thoughts about this tragedy and others to find power in the community. From older trans women to allies and even Grand Chief Ron Tremblay, one by one people took the microphone to share their thoughts.
“Rest in power, Nex,” said Lyons-MacFarlane while raising their fist in the air.
