Dozens turned out at the state capitol in Hartford Wednesday to remember a non-binary teenager from Oklahoma who died one day after a fight at school. The local transgender community says the teen’s death hits close to home.
The name of the 16-year-old nonbinary teenager was heard at the state capitol during a vigil honoring their life. Nex Benedict died earlier this month a day after being involved in a fight at their high school in Oklahoma. Their family says Benedict was bullied at school for their gender identity.
“It could have been my kid. This is the bullying and harassment in schools. It’s an epidemic,” Melissa Combs of Farmington said.
The death cuts deep for Combs who’s the mother of a transgender student. She says while Connecticut has strong non-discrimination laws compared to Oklahoma, what happened to Benedict could happen anywhere.
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“So many students are hurting in the wake of the news, even parents and caregivers. There’s fear. There’s grief, there’s sadness,” she said.
Comb’s daughter June Carpenter says the bullying is harmful and diminishes self-love.
“When you have people telling you how low you are, how whatever you are…it starts to make you believe you are those things,” she said.
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Governor Ned Lamont was at the vigil. He says any form of hate towards the trans community has no place in Connecticut.
“We’re not going to stand for that. We’re going to allow you to be exactly who you are and we love you for who you are and we stand for you,” he said.
Combs says while the vigil brings healing there is still progress to be made.
“Our kids should be seen and heard, and they should get to learn in a safe and affirming school environment,” she said.
