Protests and vigils have been held to support the safety of transgender individuals nationwide. On Sunday, March 31, a vigil was held at Grand Valley State University’s Cook Carillon Tower for Nex Benedict, a 16-year-old non-binary student from Oklahoma who lost their life due to transphobia. The vigil was organized by GVSU’s Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) to commemorate Trans Day of Remembrance.

The day honors the lives that have been lost due to transphobic aggression and legislation. GVSU students attended the vigil for Benedict and the “Out! Loud” assembly on March 26 at the Cook Carillon Tower to advocate for trans safety.

“To honor the lives of those who have died because of trans violence, such as Nex Benedict, our movement needs to carry their names and spirits forward, to not forget them and to demand that those who commit violence against trans people face severe consequences,” said SDS Vice President Owen Frassetto. “When that small section of society who hates trans people see that their violence is met with justice, they will be scared off.”

While using the bathroom, Benedict was attacked by a group of girls who had been bullying them relentlessly for over a year. Their school did not think it was necessary to call an ambulance, despite the wounds Benedict had sustained from the attack. Sue Benedict, their guardian, picked them up from school and brought them to the ER, where they received treatment. The next day, Feb. 8, Benedict suddenly collapsed in their home and was later pronounced dead. 

On March 13, Benedict’s death was ruled a suicide by the Oklahoma medical examiner’s office. The death was most likely caused by combined toxicity from two drugs. However, it is unclear whether the drugs were taken together intentionally or unintentionally. Despite Benedict’s wounds being nonlethal, the mental and physical torment they faced led to severe depression, anxiety and self-harm, according to the medical examiner. As of now, it is unlikely that the girls involved in the attack will be faced with criminal charges. 

“What we learn from the story of Nex Benedict, and so many other trans people who have had to stand up against violent attacks, is that the struggle for trans liberation is far from over,” Frassetto said. “We (have learned) that the mass movement for trans liberation is what is driving us toward full legal equality, access to necessary medical care and safety. The movement is going to carry forward in the spirit of Nex and so many others because full liberation is still on the horizon.”

As a part of Trans Week of Visibility at GVSU, the Milton E. Ford LGBT Resource Center hosted the “Out! Loud” assembly, five days before the vigil for Benedict. The assembly acted as a call to action to create a safer campus and country for transgender individuals.

The assembly was co-sponsored by the director and assistant director of the LGBT Resource Center, D.L. McKinney and D. Hollowell. The assembly featured GVSU students and faculty speakers discussing LGBTQ issues. During the assembly, there was a moment of silence for those who have lost their lives to fatal, transphobic-driven violence, including Benedict. 

At the “Out! Loud” event, a large crowd gathered by the clock tower carrying pride flags and homemade protest posters. The crowd included GVSU students, student workers, faculty and professors, all gathered to show their support to the cause. Each speaker gave a short, five-minute speech about their experience as either a transgender person or an ally to the trans community. Some of the topics included making the GVSU community safer for transgender faculty and students, motivating young people to vote on LGBTQ issues and the argument between free speech and hate speech. 

“The lack of accountability and unwillingness to experience discomfort through changing behavior has spiraled (transphobia) from epidemic to pandemic levels and beyond,” McKinney said. “‘Out! Loud’ and Trans (Week) of Visibility is a simple demand that the world see people like me who are trans and gender expansive as more than just the next statistic. A real concern is that without visibility we become just numbers and memories.”

Many of the speeches focused on the discriminatory and violent behavior shown toward transgender individuals in recent years. Benedict was brought up more than once at the event, as well as other transgender individuals who were recent victims of fatal transphobia.

Additionally, on March 16, Diamond Brigman, a black transgender woman, was fatally shot in Houston, Texas.

“Dehumanizing rhetoric has real-life consequences for the transgender community, particularly transgender women of color but especially Black transgender women. As we have seen, an unprecedented number of bills introduced in state legislatures attacking transgender youth and trans adults, the moment we are in is clear,” said Joni Madison, Interim President of the Human Rights Campaign, in the advocacy group’s announcement. “They have attacked transgender people’s right to health care, right to exist in public, and right to live openly, with the ultimate goal of dehumanizing and erasing their lives and experiences.”

Activism through the vigil and “Out! Loud” event drew the attention to LGBTQ issues on campus and off.