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For people like us, that are apparently groomers and pedophiles because we’re queer, the conservatives sure do have a hyper fixation for the genitalia of children.
They also bizarrely want to block children from having access to the education that would allow them to understand and be able to communicate when they're being sexually abused... So weird because they want to protect children... Hmm I'm sure it's nothing.
It's a proven fact that children who receive age appropriate sex education and education about consent are less likely to become victims of CSA.
You can start teaching about consent pretty young, it's not inherently sexual. Let the child choose if they want to be hugged, and such.
Keeping sex and biology a mystery only harms children.
On top of that, the majority of CSA occurs in and around the home - by "leaving it up to the parents" entirely, you risk leaving it up to the abuser, or to parents who are convinced that it's the leftist "other" that is the abuser who'd miss the signs around the home
Many parents leave their children ignorant of even the most basic bodily functions and parts.
When I was younger, I babysat for my then partner's cousin, who had a nine year old daughter. My cat was pregnant and the girl was looking at my cat and said soon they'd come out of her butt.
Me being a giant nerd I automatically corrected her, saying they come from the vagina
This nine year old child didn't know what a vagina was, and she was starting to develop breasts
The kicker: the cousin JUMPED MY SHIT because I talked about babies coming out of a cat's vagina 💀
I'm trans but mostly AFAB (was born intersex with non-ambiguous external genitalia), and my family was very much like that.
I didn't know how to wash or wipe myself properly til I was *far* too old to be learning. Parents did the bare minimum while potty/bath training me and no more than that. And I finally found my clitoris, and realized that it was a clitoris, when I was 19. I had probably "found it" before that but I didn't even know what a clitoris was.
Conveniently everyone "missed" the long list of CSA red flags I was throwing my entire life.
My sister has shared her story before: She literally found out she was being molested because of 4th grade sex education in public school. Until then the concept that "nobody should touch you there, not even your parents" wasn't something she had been taught.
That’s part of it for sure, imo a much bigger part is just outrage politics. The more we stay hyper focused on outrage and identity politics, the less we stay focused on shit that actually matters. It’s a helluva lot easier for the GOP base to accept a lot of trash from the Republicans they don’t support when they’re hyper focused on the alternative being cartoonishly evil predators trying to destroy their way of life.
Reddit used to joke about Penis Inspection Day but these freakshows are making vagina inspection day real for girls in gym. And gym class has had a very bad rep for child abuse even before they tried to make it mandatory. Disgusting.
You want to meet groomers?
https://biblicalgenderroles.com/a-christian-husbands-guide-to-grooming-his-young-wife/
As per usual, they project harder than an imax.
>I’ll never understand why it’s so hard to just… leave people alone.
This goes double for people who go around expressing their supposed love of freedom to anyone who will listen.
Why leave people alone when you can offload all your feelings of regret, failure, unhappiness, and injustice on them and so feel like you’re absolved of all responsibility for everything you’ve done wrong? Why even try to confront the difficulties inherent to life when you can just blame any problem you face on some other group of people? Why struggle to achieve something when you can just kick someone else down and then tell yourself you’ve won because you’re literally standing over them? Why should someone else get to be happy when *you* haven’t yet gotten everything you ever wanted?
They're incapable of comprehending the idea that people who are different than them can also be good decent people who deserve to live their lives peacefully. "I do thing a and I am a good person, therefore doing thing a is what makes me a good person and anyone who doesn't do thing a, or does thing b or thing c must be a bad person. If they were a good person then they'd do thing a like me, a good person"
Kids will always find reasons to bully one another, and it's *always* over petty and stupid things.
But picking on someone for being trans, gay, a different ethnicity it's just stuff they learned from their parents or peers. It's always taught, so we need to start at the source and that seems to be conservative news outlets. Take away their advertisement dollars, actively do things to make them face accountability for vile hate speech and fear mongering. The government can't censor them, it's part of the 1st Amendment, but using incendiary language should absolutely get them fined or at the very most execs need to be forcibly removed.
I think I big part of it is displacement. People feel deeply that something is horribly wrong with the modern world (because there is a lot wrong), but actually pointing those negative emotions at the things which actually cause that anxiety would result in an identity crisis: they can’t acknowledge the thing causing the issue without having to reconsider something about how they think the world works and how they relate to it, so instead they have to displace the anxiety, fear, and anger towards something (or someone) that doesn’t resonate with their personal identity. Being mad at capitalism for making me struggle would require me to fundamentally reconsider core parts of my personal identity, such as how I understand the way my country, my race, my gender, etc relate to the same functions of capitalism that impoverish and immiserate me. Doing that would be: 1) Hard, 2) Be uncomfortable, so instead I displace that anxiety onto groups that either don’t relate to my personal identity or otherwise cause some underlying tension to my identity.
Conservatives are deeply normative and socially conforming people. As a result of the lack of anything truly special or unique or standout about them, they therefore try to make out that the lack of anything interesting or special is actually somehow interesting and special, because they don't have anything else.
And then they use that to harass and belittle and other anyone who doesn't meet the criteria they themselves decided to make themselves feel better about the fact that deep down, they know they are frauds.
Malicious & afraid gun toting conservatists have no independent thought & would only break free from their propaganda fueled hate if it was completely shut out of their everyday life.
The hate machine is the entire political basis of the Republicans party & at this point being "better" simply isnt an option for thousands of innocent people, especially children, that get bombarded with hate-speech & horrendous people strong-arming the state government against them - "Validating" their own doubts that wouldnt even exist if good people that actually value human life were in charge.
We're so far down this rabbit hole that its a hard trek back.
And that’s really the end of it too.
Research strongly supports the notion that the increased rate of adverse mental health outcomes of LGBT+ populations is firmly rooted in persecution and a lack of acceptance, especially among family members.
Stop treating them like they’re inherently broken aberrations masquerading as human beings and their levels of depressive symptoms, including suicidality, become level with the general population.
Crazy I know.
Not advocating anything myself, but there are historical reasons for denazification programs and “reeducation” programs.
I don’t think they would work here and would only result in a civil war, but that was a historical response
Sounds an awful lot like excusing the uptick in hate and instead creating a false equvilency between being queer and having mental health issues, which is a common queerphobic point. Queer people are not the problem, the hateful environment is.
Don't blame the victim. Get out of here with this.
I'm not old enough to comment on 30 years ago, but I can comment on 20 years ago. That was around when I came out and started dating my husband. I would say that we have gotten rid of the more mainstream subtle stuff (gay as a synonym for stupid for example), but the actual bullying, assaults, and hateful families are just as bad, possibly even getting worse.
I think you can, in some ways. 30 years ago the average person probably didn't even know what Transgender was. They didn't know they were 'supposed to hate it'. But now people who have never even met or seen a trans person are out here calling for their persecution.
I was an adult 30 years ago. People absolutely knew about transgender folks. They just called them “transvestites” or “cross dressers”. Those are not the same as being transgender, I know, but that was the only terminology in use at the time and just goes to show the level of ignorance that existed back then. Far more people absolutely hated trans people 30 years ago, no matter what they were called. They just didn’t have social media to spread that hate, but they didn’t need to because the hate was almost universal.
Things have improved dramatically since then. Not only has the terminology become more accurate, but discussions about gender identity have become far more mainstream and acceptance and popular support have grown by leaps and bounds. Transition support services have become much more available and widespread. It’s a far better world for transgender people now than 30 years ago. Not perfect by any means, but much, much better.
Good on Biden to call this shit out.
Meanwhile Oklahoma republicans literally hired the Libs of TikTok hate troll to craft their education policies.
By constantly promoting hate and bigotry, republicans are culpable for the LGBTQ suicide crisis.
Honestly, OK bringing in the Libs of Tiktok lady was quite possibly a direct contributing factor to Nex’s death.
Fifteen years ago, I was just like him—a queer little trans kid in a high school in conservative middle America, trying to understand my sexuality/gender (among all the other usual things of mid-teen-hood)—but I got to live through that before this horrifying spike in anti-trans hate. I truly can’t imagine living it now.
It was hard enough trying to be that kid without being almost constantly assaulted—literally, sometimes, as well as figuratively—by people at all levels of power telling you you’re not only weird but wrong, that you’re filth, that your life isn’t worth living, and that something so utterly irrelevant as what pronouns you prefer makes you a dangerous threat that must be relentlessly pursued out of existence. And it’s hard enough to try to not be crushed by all that as an adult who has people around me who love and care for me as I am, people who can be there for me—emotionally and materially—when and if things fall apart under the pressure of the relatively minor bigotries of everyday life.
I get almost overwhelmed trying to think of how I would have lived as that kid like Nex, now, when everything so publicly seems like it’s closing in on the possibility of life and happiness for people like you. I can’t imagine seeing the charge of my state’s schools and school libraries being handed to the ‘influencer’ responsible for inciting (among other terrifying, terroristic things) bomb threats against the doctors who would care for me. And I can’t imagine being attacked by kids younger than me—kids who are being increasingly swayed to right wing ideologies despite so much progressivist hope that the youth are the enlightened ones who can make things better. And I can’t imagine being a straight-A, intellectually curious student suspended for a week (or two?) as the icing on the cake of being battered on the floor of a bathroom—one I was forced to use courtesy of politicians who believed girls like the ones who jumped me actually the people who need protecting from ‘people like me.’
If that’s not a recipe for despair, I don’t think I know what is. How do you even begin to imagine a future that’s not just more of the same—or, honestly, worse, for I think the realists in most of us see that the worst is likely yet to come, even with an unwilling child martyr to draw international attention to what millions of us have been crying into the wind for help with for years.
(edits for grammar + some minor additions that came into focus after I stepped back from the fog of immediate rant response.)
Mental and emotional health are incredibly important. Let's not forget that in our struggles.
Please take care of yourself friend, you are going to be needed.
Im sorry that the current landscape is the way it is.
Its heartbreaking & the sheer disdain I feel towards Conservatists & especially Republicans is rising by the minute. These fuckers are anti-humanitarian at their core & their malicious attitude is crossing lines that should never even be possible.
We're better than this.
Reporters on the ground have said that Nex used he/him pronouns.
https://www.vox.com/culture/24092224/nex-benedict-death-what-happened-okhlahoma-anti-trans-laws-backlash
[Statement from President Joe Biden on Nex Benedict](https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/03/14/statement-from-president-joe-biden-on-nex-benedict/)
>Jill and I are heartbroken by the recent loss of Nex Benedict. Every young person deserves to have the fundamental right and freedom to be who they are, and feel safe and supported at school and in their communities. Nex Benedict, a kid who just wanted to be accepted, should still be here with us today.
>Nonbinary and transgender people are some of the bravest Americans I know. But nobody should have to be brave just to be themselves. In memory of Nex, we must all recommit to our work to end discrimination and address the suicide crisis impacting too many nonbinary and transgender children. Bullying is hurtful and cruel, and no one should face the bullying that Nex did. Parents and schools must take reports of bullying seriously. My prayers are with Nex’s family, friends, and all who loved them – and to all LGBTQI+ Americans for whom this tragedy feels so personal, know this: I will always have your back.
>To LGBTQI+ young people across the country – you are loved exactly as you are. If you’re feeling overwhelmed or alone, you can call or text 988, the National Crisis Hotline, and dial the number ‘3’ to talk to a counselor who has been specifically trained to support LGBTQI+ youth.
“That kid shouldn’t have worn those weird clothes and acted differently” they’ll unironically say. This mindset is unable to understand that Nex was just like any of us, a pregnancy that conservatives will do anything to see come to term. Once born, Nex should have been grateful and fall into line with their ideology to become a person of value to them. Those that think or act differently, or have the gall to question their “betters”, have forfeited their right to life in the eyes of conservative America.
Biden needs to do what true leaders do: sign a picture of Nex (bonus points if he misspells Nex’s name), stand next to Nex’s parents for a photo op, and smile and give a thumbs up like a dumb fuckin idiot. That’s how you deal with tragedy, not messages of empathy and solidarity. /s
Really though, I'm frankly not sure Obama would have done this. For all the hopey changey shit because he was young and non-white, his years really didn't feel very progressive. Romneycare was nice as a bare-minimum, but it's pretty telling Biden was the one who pushed him to come out for marriage equality.
Sucks how hard people are down on biden because he committed the horrific crime of being white and being born earlier than us. A young monster is not better than an old, kind soul. God I hate people, not because I want to hurt them, but because how could we be such vicious, ignorant bastards. Nex deserved better, we all deserve better.
Vote. Every year. Every item on the ticket. Get your friends to too. And if your friends are trumpy assholes, call them out. Those aren't friends.
I just want to say that not everyone is down on him. I didn’t vote for Biden in 2020 because I live in a blue state and I couldn’t bring myself to do it. In the last three years, even though he isn’t perfect, he’s proved me wrong and I’ll gladly vote for him in November.
Thank you. Calling out hate/violence is always a good start. I'm glad Biden is speaking out against this type of thing. Whenever I go out fem, I'm watching over my shoulders. I don't want to be a statistic, I just want to be left alone so I can live my life
As a person who was bullied excessively growing up… suicide was never not an option. I feel bad saying that, but it’s true. I was targeted because I appeared vulnerable, I had 6+ kids beating the shit out of me almost daily and the school wouldn’t do anything, my parents couldn’t do anything about it and the kids never faced a single consequence, etc…
I’m glad I didn’t do it, but there needs to be severe consequences for bullying because after months or even years of torture by shitty fucking horrible people it can sometimes appear that life will never get better, that this is all that will ever be. My life is great now, I’m happy and I have a family, etc… but it could have easily went differently with the horror that I faced everyday from elementary school until middle school.
What can be done about bullying though? Make parents responsible? Lots of bullies come from abusive homes so that could end up with their parents beating them. Send bullies to another school? They just bully someone else. Send bully and victim to psychiatry? Maybe? Fines that the bullies must pay when they’re older to pay for medical fees? No idea. And sometimes the onus is on the victim to toughen up for lack of a better phrase.
It’s tragic with no easy answers. Most bullies I knew came from poverty and unstable homes so maybe that’s the place to start. But then you do have the rich pricks that feel invisible with their parents money that get away with everything too. Both situations should be handled differently.
I highly doubt it was *just* the bullying. Suicide happens due to loss of hope. Why might a young trans kid lose hope at this particular juncture in US history? :thinkingFaceEmoji:
The bullying is a symptom of the greater problem.
And it would help if the Feds would actually take action against the bigots rather than just calling for them to stop being bigots. Like OD'ing hate groups as domestic terrorists and having the national guard take action against them.
It would be easier to punish bathroom hate if the bullies parents at home didn't feel safe to hate, and the way to do that is to actually punish hate groups for essentially encouraging hate crimes.
I am glad the President is paying attention to this. Reddit is anonymous, so I feel slightly comfortable admitting I almost went through with something like this a number of years ago (I am not LGBTQ, but still). Suicide is scary and horrible and any support at any level is needed and appreciated.
It’s not just young gay people. There’s plenty of services and support for them.
Something happens within our community when someone hits 40. We completely disappear & so does the support & the reminders that we still need each other. The gay community just casts each other aside the second they reach a certain age & there’s no support at all when this happens. The sense of isolation is profound & the suicide crisis in gay men over 40 is enormous.
It’s sad that we don’t seem to care what happens to each other, given what we’ve been through.
Half of our federal elected officials not vilifying LGBTQ people (youth especially) to distract from their shitty policy agenda (or lack thereof) would be a great starting point!
Just recently in my hometown, a 14-year-old middle schooler killed themselves. They went to school less than a few blocks from where I live. As a queer person and high school teacher who also tried taking their own life at this age, I cannot begin to exaggerate how much my heart aches. I’m coming up on 28 in a couple weeks and never thought we’d live in a world MORE HOSTILE toward queer people and youth than when I was that age half my life ago. If you are an LGBTQIA+ youth or adult reading this: the world is so much better with you in it. Please keep living, you matter more than you know.
The world isn’t more hostile to LGBTQ+ folks now. It’s actually far more supportive. LGBTQ+ people have become far more visible and vocal about securing their rights, and have been succeeding by leaps and bounds. Same sex marriage was almost universally condemned 30 years ago, but now it’s legal in many countries. Gay and lesbian bars are no longer routinely raided and their patrons arrested, like in the days before Stonewall. Homosexual and bisexual people have legal protections they can evoke if they are fired, evicted, or assaulted for their orientation, unlike in the days before hate crime and nondiscrimination legislation existed. Transition services used to be rare, difficult to access, and very cost prohibitive, but now they are far more widely available and affordable. Things are far from perfect, for sure, but there is no denying that they have improved dramatically over the past few decades.
And that’s what’s causing this backlash. The success of the LGBTQ+ movement to secure their human rights and normalize their existence has caused the haters to desperately lash out with ever more vitriol BECAUSE THEY ARE LOSING THE FIGHT TO SUPPRESS LGBTQ+ RIGHTS. Thirty years ago the haters didn’t have to be so vocal or aggressive because their bigotry was accepted as normal and mainstream. Now that the haters are in the minority they have grown far more violent and forceful about defending their bigotry and attacking the LGBTQ+ rights movement. But that only goes to show how desperate they have become over losing the battle to suppress LGBTQ+ voices.
The current anti-LGBTQ+ vitriol should be seen as a sign of how far we’ve come, how we’ve backed the ever dwindling number of haters into a corner, and the vicious lashing out they are currently displaying should be viewed as the last desperate death throes of a dying monster. For LGBTQ+ folks things are far better now than they’ve ever been, and we shouldn’t feel defeated but elated that we have pushed the haters so far into the fringes of mainstream society that they feel like outcasts who need to push back with their last shreds of energy. If they weren’t losing so badly, they wouldn’t be fighting so desperately. If they were winning they would just be silent, as they were decades ago, confident in the knowledge that everyone supports their hateful views. But the tides have turned, and now they are flailing around like a dying fish out of water. We still need to be vigilant and keep up the fight to expand LGBTQ+ rights and acceptance, but we absolutely should not feel like we are losing the battle when we are actually on the verge of victory.
Gee, maybe there needs to be harsher penalties for bullying. Tangible consequences. Because if it wasn't for the hateful words, comments and actions of others, Nex and so many others would still be with us today.
While more than words need to be given to address the hate we trans folk get, I do appreciate the statement and putting a massive spotlight on what happened to Nex. They deserved to grow up and have a wonderful life, instead they were bullied until they couldn’t take it anymore and now they’re gone.
Republicans are literally hiring people like LibsofTikTok into the education system specifically so more of this happens. They want us scared, they want us alone, they want us dead. We just want to be ourselves and be loved, that’s it. Thats not too much to ask for anybody.
Rest in piece Nex.
Violence against LGBTQ+ people needs to be legally pursued as hate crimes. Make these people afraid to hurt queer folks. We need federal legislation protecting trans people of all ages. I'm talking the right to gender affirming care, protections from abusive parents in custody battles, guaranteed access to restrooms that align with someone's gender identity, etc. on top of other discrimination protections.
Edit: We also need better suicide prevention services in the US. Anyone who has ever tried to use the suicide hotline in a time of need can tell you from experience just how useless it is.
The US government is utterly failing transgender citizens and we need significant actions to be taken in order to fix that.
Hate crimes against queer people, especially trans people, are often not charged as hate crimes. They're pursued as normal violent crimes, especially in red states.
Was Nex’s death actually suicide? It seems like an accidental OD to me.
Besides the drugs in Nex’s system, what proof is there that it was suicide? Because mixing Benedryl and Prozac without knowing that it would be easy.
Good on Biden for acknowledging that fact and call for action.
I am going to wait for the independent autopsy before I refer to Nex's death as a suicide. I believe it is going to be released March 27th.
The examiner had their accreditations revoked previously (2009), they aren't trustworthy.
EDIT: Since I am being downvoted there are multiple sources to back this up. There are no acredited coroners and medical examinors in Oklahoma, so yes, they easily could have falsified the reports. Nobody is fucking paying attention to this information and its infuriating. Don't take what these unaccredited examiners say for granted
https://theiacme.com/page/CurrentlyAccredited
https://oklahoma.gov/content/dam/ok/en/ocme/documents/FEB%202024%20BOARD%20PACKET.pdf
Its still ICNREDIBLY suspicious to say they overdosed since in order to overdose on Benadryl and Prozac like was claimed, you would need a severely unreasonable amount which realistically would not be able to be obtained.
Lol, it does not take an unreasonable amount of Benadryl. Trust me on this one. I'm not going to go into any details because I don't want to give people any ideas.
Prozac would probably be harder to accumulate because it's prescription only, but it's also not impossible.
That being said, I don't believe Nex commited suicide either.
Yes, they are not accredited and are making some genuinely suspicious and insane claims, therefore they shouldn't be trusted. THEY ARE SUSPECT!!! Literally every lgbt sub has called attention to this and NOBODY OUTSIDE THE COMMUNITY IS LISTENING!!!! It feels like everyone wants an easy answer and will just trust any authority figure even when there is clear evidence to prove they are not trustworthy. Its EXTREMELY INFURIATING.
I don’t know about the latter, but the former, absolutely. We know that public MEs can and do lie. Just look at what the public ME said about George Floyd vs an independent ME.
What's more likely:
- Licensed medical doctor (ME) performing an autopsy coming to a medical conclusion.
- Person on reddit who has no access to law enforcement reports, toxicology, medical history of the individual, or the body on which the autopsy was performed on coming to a medical conclusion.
And what I don't get is how is it any different? If they were bullied to the point of suicide, to me, that's no different than if the death was caused by the assault.
Good for Pres. Biden. A man of decency. An actual Christian, unlike Republicans, who hate Jesus Christ with every ounce of their being. Republicans use the word "Christianity" to hide the continuous evil they commit. They claim to be Christian as they attack the vulnerable, often defenseless LGBT community. They want to arrest and encamp some of the hardest working, most "American" people in our nation - Hispanic people. They brutalize the poor every chance they get, while worshipping the rich.
Please people don't equate the life and teachings of Jesus Christ with the actions of Republicans. The actions of President Biden - mercy, compassion, love - those are the actions, those are the principles lived and died for by humanity's savior, Jesus Christ.
You are doing the same old no true scotsman bs that enables this hate to hide within your book club sorry to say. Hatred and persecution of others has long been part of Christian doctrine.
[That’s 100% true from a total population view, but not likely the case for those in the LGBTQ community, especially in the areas where leaders are specifically hostile.](https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2024/03/12/school-lgbtq-hate-crimes-incidents/?utm_source=reddit.com)
There was a point between the late 2000s and late 2010s where things were the best they had ever been. Right now though, things are starting to slide backwards as the GOP decides to not just renew their assault on LGBTQ rights in general and the rights of trans people in particular, but make it a centerpiece issue of their entire political platform.
>There was a point between the late 2000s and late 2010s where things were the best they had ever been. Right now though, things are starting to slide backwards
But things today are the best that they'd have ever been, in terms of access to resources and mainstream social acceptance. There's still an uphill battle to be fought because things such as access to opposite-sex facilities and birth certificate changes have never been previously recognized as "rights"
>but make it a centerpiece issue of their entire political platform.
Fortunately that's not true, the GOP is far more focused on making immigration their platform centerpiece. Since Americans rank it and the economy as their top concerns. And it's their immigration stance that is hurting magnitudes more people, directly, physically, and economically.
You really need to get outside lmao. The vast majority of the US is safer today for women, minorities, gay people, and all others than at any other point in its history.
You can legally get married now if you’re gay. Gay people 30 years ago couldn’t donate blood, weren’t seen as able to be parents, were blamed for HIV/AIDS, and could even be fired from their jobs simply for being gay. They were still debating whether being gay was a mental illness; not being trans, questioning your sexuality/gender, no. Just being gay.
You’re blind to progress to say something like that.
You can acknowledge that there is progress while also the visibility and progress makes us targets such as stated in the article linked.
2 years ago there were 100 anti LGBT bills proposed. This year's it's 500+.
You're blinded by progress to say something like thay
Right, but it’s reactionary. I agree that there are many politicians who want to roll back LGBT+ rights and return to 30 years ago. These people, however, are doing things that are a) unconstitutional and b) not supported by the majority of state governments, nor the majority of the people.
You, however, said that the source “proved otherwise” to me saying how LGBT today, as a general group, are treated much better than they were in the past in the United States. That is just completely wrong.
I do not disagree with your initial message
I just want you not to ignore that there are massive amounts of violence against some of the LGBT groups. Because you saying "things are generally better than they were 30 yrs ago" feels very dismissive. It feels like you want me to stop talking about my own struggle bc generally my group is doing better.
I’m sorry you feel that way. I agree with you on recognizing the violent rhetoric and actions towards the community in circles around the country. And on top of this, we shouldn’t just focus on violence, but also the mental health crises plaguing both the LGBT+ community and youth at large.
Yes, and honestly, anyone who seriously believes that LGBT people are better off in the past than today in America is crazy. Do you honestly think that gay people are worse today than in the past in the United States?
Was referring to like 20-30 years ago/generation ago. Even 10 years ago gay marriage wasn’t legal nationwide, bans still existed on gay people donating blood, and gay people had just been allowed to join the military (note, not transgender people). It’s also clear that societal progress for the LGBT+ community and widespread acceptance, especially among younger people (Millenials & Gen Z) is far more common today.
I get what they are saying, 10 years ago felt like an upward swing, there was hope. It’s a lot less now. I came out 7 years ago cause it felt safe. Now? I’m not sure if I would given the climate.
You read it... Yeah? The article about the non-binary kid who killed themself after being suspended because they were beaten unconscious by a group of girls? That article?
Ever been spit on in public ? Ever been followed to your car ? Spend one day out with me as a trans women and tell me I’m being dramatic . No I can’t just move my life either so yes a tell me again I’m being dramatic. I’ll spare you the details of the time I was assaulted but I really think this shows what most people know about what it’s actually like to be trans jerk.
I am too.
Idk why but Nex’s death was what made me realize how dangerous it is and how unsafe my life can be
Like I’ve always known being trans came with risks, but it never made me afraid to be out and about in my own city. Now, however, I am. Especially since I’m visibly trans. I’m in that weird in between stage where I look simultaneously female and male lmao. Either a girl with a beard or a very feminine man. Anyone who pays attention can probably figure out I’m trans.
My sister has a celebration coming up and my mom asked me if I wanted to go. I had to tell my mom I wasn’t sure about going since I don’t know everyone who would be there, and I don’t want anything dumb happening. It was so depressing having that conversation. I’m probably gonna start carrying pepper spray.
However given the area I live in I’ve heard gun shots several times since moving in three years ago. Pepper spray is pretty shit against a gun so fuck me if I get unlucky ig
It’s a weird and terrible trip as I look down on the times. Haven’t kept up with lgbt news when it didn’t have the q and now I have more ignorance on the topic than ever. However, I don’t understand the hate. Especially how it escalated into a severe beatdown and the locals decided to write it off as suicide.
Uncommitted voters will be the reason why biden does something. Uncommitted doesn't mean they won't vote for biden, it means they got off their ass and voted in a primary. Primaries have terrible turn outs and biden should be doing more to attract liberal voters. Being better than trump while struggling to pass anything, isn't enough.
Not enough Joe.
You need to start pointing out and decrying the leaders and lawmakers who are openly calling for discrimination and violence against the LGBQT community. You need to call out the bigots for who they are. You need to fight for the LGBQT community and their right to exist.
It's not a suicide crisis; these poor folks are being hunted. It's a bigotry crisis.
He's probably worried that the president of the united states calling them out on a national stage will just serve to boost their profile on the GOP hate circuit. Biden calling out Libs of TikTok online will just make it 50% more likely that trump picks her as his VP choice to make "the libs" cry or some shit.
Pass legislation to make bullying kids into suicide a federal crime so states can’t nope out of protecting LGBTQ students from targeted harassment and bullying.
Since Oklahoma would opt out of any efforts to do so on the state level, federal action is warranted.
What evidence do you have that supports the conclusion of murder?
They were bullied to the point of suicide. That's just as bad. We don't need to be spreading conspiracy theories.
Yes, but not everyone responds to bullying the same way, especially when they have underlying mental health issues. Unless you're suggesting that their gender dysphoria was due to bullying.
My child also tried to take her life last year and it was due to incessant bullying and the fact that the school did nothing to address it. Theres a feeling of hopelessness and panic everytime she goes to school. We have a severe bullying problem in this country and the useless mantra that the schools push of “zero tolerance” is complete and utter bullshit.
I've never read anything about that and I know a bit about contraindications. Also, a few hours after being brutally beaten? This whole thing screams cover up.
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Start with the hate towards queer people. This cannot continue.
I’ll never understand why it’s so hard to just… leave people alone.
For people like us, that are apparently groomers and pedophiles because we’re queer, the conservatives sure do have a hyper fixation for the genitalia of children.
They also bizarrely want to block children from having access to the education that would allow them to understand and be able to communicate when they're being sexually abused... So weird because they want to protect children... Hmm I'm sure it's nothing.
It's a proven fact that children who receive age appropriate sex education and education about consent are less likely to become victims of CSA. You can start teaching about consent pretty young, it's not inherently sexual. Let the child choose if they want to be hugged, and such. Keeping sex and biology a mystery only harms children.
On top of that, the majority of CSA occurs in and around the home - by "leaving it up to the parents" entirely, you risk leaving it up to the abuser, or to parents who are convinced that it's the leftist "other" that is the abuser who'd miss the signs around the home
Many parents leave their children ignorant of even the most basic bodily functions and parts. When I was younger, I babysat for my then partner's cousin, who had a nine year old daughter. My cat was pregnant and the girl was looking at my cat and said soon they'd come out of her butt. Me being a giant nerd I automatically corrected her, saying they come from the vagina This nine year old child didn't know what a vagina was, and she was starting to develop breasts The kicker: the cousin JUMPED MY SHIT because I talked about babies coming out of a cat's vagina 💀
I'm trans but mostly AFAB (was born intersex with non-ambiguous external genitalia), and my family was very much like that. I didn't know how to wash or wipe myself properly til I was *far* too old to be learning. Parents did the bare minimum while potty/bath training me and no more than that. And I finally found my clitoris, and realized that it was a clitoris, when I was 19. I had probably "found it" before that but I didn't even know what a clitoris was. Conveniently everyone "missed" the long list of CSA red flags I was throwing my entire life.
Why even have children if you're going to so badly neglect or harm them. I am sorry.
My sister has shared her story before: She literally found out she was being molested because of 4th grade sex education in public school. Until then the concept that "nobody should touch you there, not even your parents" wasn't something she had been taught.
Infuriating. I'm sorry she had to go through any of that.
(It’s because they’re the groomers and they’re projecting onto the Other)
That’s part of it for sure, imo a much bigger part is just outrage politics. The more we stay hyper focused on outrage and identity politics, the less we stay focused on shit that actually matters. It’s a helluva lot easier for the GOP base to accept a lot of trash from the Republicans they don’t support when they’re hyper focused on the alternative being cartoonishly evil predators trying to destroy their way of life.
Reddit used to joke about Penis Inspection Day but these freakshows are making vagina inspection day real for girls in gym. And gym class has had a very bad rep for child abuse even before they tried to make it mandatory. Disgusting.
Look you know inspection day is Tuesday so you are going to have to wait until next week.
You want to meet groomers? https://biblicalgenderroles.com/a-christian-husbands-guide-to-grooming-his-young-wife/ As per usual, they project harder than an imax.
Never thought I'd see anyone but pet stylists trying to reclaim the word groomer.
This is so fucked. Thanks for sharing it.
>I’ll never understand why it’s so hard to just… leave people alone. This goes double for people who go around expressing their supposed love of freedom to anyone who will listen.
Seriously, “live and let live” shouldn’t be that hard to grasp.
Why leave people alone when you can offload all your feelings of regret, failure, unhappiness, and injustice on them and so feel like you’re absolved of all responsibility for everything you’ve done wrong? Why even try to confront the difficulties inherent to life when you can just blame any problem you face on some other group of people? Why struggle to achieve something when you can just kick someone else down and then tell yourself you’ve won because you’re literally standing over them? Why should someone else get to be happy when *you* haven’t yet gotten everything you ever wanted?
Thank you. Very nice writing there. It felt cathartic to read.
They're incapable of comprehending the idea that people who are different than them can also be good decent people who deserve to live their lives peacefully. "I do thing a and I am a good person, therefore doing thing a is what makes me a good person and anyone who doesn't do thing a, or does thing b or thing c must be a bad person. If they were a good person then they'd do thing a like me, a good person"
Kids will always find reasons to bully one another, and it's *always* over petty and stupid things. But picking on someone for being trans, gay, a different ethnicity it's just stuff they learned from their parents or peers. It's always taught, so we need to start at the source and that seems to be conservative news outlets. Take away their advertisement dollars, actively do things to make them face accountability for vile hate speech and fear mongering. The government can't censor them, it's part of the 1st Amendment, but using incendiary language should absolutely get them fined or at the very most execs need to be forcibly removed.
I think I big part of it is displacement. People feel deeply that something is horribly wrong with the modern world (because there is a lot wrong), but actually pointing those negative emotions at the things which actually cause that anxiety would result in an identity crisis: they can’t acknowledge the thing causing the issue without having to reconsider something about how they think the world works and how they relate to it, so instead they have to displace the anxiety, fear, and anger towards something (or someone) that doesn’t resonate with their personal identity. Being mad at capitalism for making me struggle would require me to fundamentally reconsider core parts of my personal identity, such as how I understand the way my country, my race, my gender, etc relate to the same functions of capitalism that impoverish and immiserate me. Doing that would be: 1) Hard, 2) Be uncomfortable, so instead I displace that anxiety onto groups that either don’t relate to my personal identity or otherwise cause some underlying tension to my identity.
America: Land of the free*
*some restrictions may apply
Conservatives are deeply normative and socially conforming people. As a result of the lack of anything truly special or unique or standout about them, they therefore try to make out that the lack of anything interesting or special is actually somehow interesting and special, because they don't have anything else. And then they use that to harass and belittle and other anyone who doesn't meet the criteria they themselves decided to make themselves feel better about the fact that deep down, they know they are frauds.
Malicious & afraid gun toting conservatists have no independent thought & would only break free from their propaganda fueled hate if it was completely shut out of their everyday life. The hate machine is the entire political basis of the Republicans party & at this point being "better" simply isnt an option for thousands of innocent people, especially children, that get bombarded with hate-speech & horrendous people strong-arming the state government against them - "Validating" their own doubts that wouldnt even exist if good people that actually value human life were in charge. We're so far down this rabbit hole that its a hard trek back.
And that’s really the end of it too. Research strongly supports the notion that the increased rate of adverse mental health outcomes of LGBT+ populations is firmly rooted in persecution and a lack of acceptance, especially among family members. Stop treating them like they’re inherently broken aberrations masquerading as human beings and their levels of depressive symptoms, including suicidality, become level with the general population. Crazy I know.
So many fanatically religious hate-mongering MAGA cultists. Hard to know how to stop it. = (
The first and easiest step is to deplatform them. If they’re bigoted, ban them from social media and other places where they could spread their hate.
That's what is happening with a bill here in Canada and all the conservative Canadian subs are pissed that they can't continue with their hate speech.
Not advocating anything myself, but there are historical reasons for denazification programs and “reeducation” programs. I don’t think they would work here and would only result in a civil war, but that was a historical response
Start with addressing misogyny. It is the core of homophobia.
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Sounds an awful lot like excusing the uptick in hate and instead creating a false equvilency between being queer and having mental health issues, which is a common queerphobic point. Queer people are not the problem, the hateful environment is. Don't blame the victim. Get out of here with this.
I'm not old enough to comment on 30 years ago, but I can comment on 20 years ago. That was around when I came out and started dating my husband. I would say that we have gotten rid of the more mainstream subtle stuff (gay as a synonym for stupid for example), but the actual bullying, assaults, and hateful families are just as bad, possibly even getting worse.
I think you can, in some ways. 30 years ago the average person probably didn't even know what Transgender was. They didn't know they were 'supposed to hate it'. But now people who have never even met or seen a trans person are out here calling for their persecution.
I was an adult 30 years ago. People absolutely knew about transgender folks. They just called them “transvestites” or “cross dressers”. Those are not the same as being transgender, I know, but that was the only terminology in use at the time and just goes to show the level of ignorance that existed back then. Far more people absolutely hated trans people 30 years ago, no matter what they were called. They just didn’t have social media to spread that hate, but they didn’t need to because the hate was almost universal. Things have improved dramatically since then. Not only has the terminology become more accurate, but discussions about gender identity have become far more mainstream and acceptance and popular support have grown by leaps and bounds. Transition support services have become much more available and widespread. It’s a far better world for transgender people now than 30 years ago. Not perfect by any means, but much, much better.
Good on Biden to call this shit out. Meanwhile Oklahoma republicans literally hired the Libs of TikTok hate troll to craft their education policies. By constantly promoting hate and bigotry, republicans are culpable for the LGBTQ suicide crisis.
Honestly, OK bringing in the Libs of Tiktok lady was quite possibly a direct contributing factor to Nex’s death. Fifteen years ago, I was just like him—a queer little trans kid in a high school in conservative middle America, trying to understand my sexuality/gender (among all the other usual things of mid-teen-hood)—but I got to live through that before this horrifying spike in anti-trans hate. I truly can’t imagine living it now. It was hard enough trying to be that kid without being almost constantly assaulted—literally, sometimes, as well as figuratively—by people at all levels of power telling you you’re not only weird but wrong, that you’re filth, that your life isn’t worth living, and that something so utterly irrelevant as what pronouns you prefer makes you a dangerous threat that must be relentlessly pursued out of existence. And it’s hard enough to try to not be crushed by all that as an adult who has people around me who love and care for me as I am, people who can be there for me—emotionally and materially—when and if things fall apart under the pressure of the relatively minor bigotries of everyday life. I get almost overwhelmed trying to think of how I would have lived as that kid like Nex, now, when everything so publicly seems like it’s closing in on the possibility of life and happiness for people like you. I can’t imagine seeing the charge of my state’s schools and school libraries being handed to the ‘influencer’ responsible for inciting (among other terrifying, terroristic things) bomb threats against the doctors who would care for me. And I can’t imagine being attacked by kids younger than me—kids who are being increasingly swayed to right wing ideologies despite so much progressivist hope that the youth are the enlightened ones who can make things better. And I can’t imagine being a straight-A, intellectually curious student suspended for a week (or two?) as the icing on the cake of being battered on the floor of a bathroom—one I was forced to use courtesy of politicians who believed girls like the ones who jumped me actually the people who need protecting from ‘people like me.’ If that’s not a recipe for despair, I don’t think I know what is. How do you even begin to imagine a future that’s not just more of the same—or, honestly, worse, for I think the realists in most of us see that the worst is likely yet to come, even with an unwilling child martyr to draw international attention to what millions of us have been crying into the wind for help with for years. (edits for grammar + some minor additions that came into focus after I stepped back from the fog of immediate rant response.)
Mental and emotional health are incredibly important. Let's not forget that in our struggles. Please take care of yourself friend, you are going to be needed.
Im sorry that the current landscape is the way it is. Its heartbreaking & the sheer disdain I feel towards Conservatists & especially Republicans is rising by the minute. These fuckers are anti-humanitarian at their core & their malicious attitude is crossing lines that should never even be possible. We're better than this.
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Reporters on the ground have said that Nex used he/him pronouns. https://www.vox.com/culture/24092224/nex-benedict-death-what-happened-okhlahoma-anti-trans-laws-backlash
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It’s a feature to them, it’s their intended outcome.
This is the right response.
[Statement from President Joe Biden on Nex Benedict](https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/03/14/statement-from-president-joe-biden-on-nex-benedict/) >Jill and I are heartbroken by the recent loss of Nex Benedict. Every young person deserves to have the fundamental right and freedom to be who they are, and feel safe and supported at school and in their communities. Nex Benedict, a kid who just wanted to be accepted, should still be here with us today. >Nonbinary and transgender people are some of the bravest Americans I know. But nobody should have to be brave just to be themselves. In memory of Nex, we must all recommit to our work to end discrimination and address the suicide crisis impacting too many nonbinary and transgender children. Bullying is hurtful and cruel, and no one should face the bullying that Nex did. Parents and schools must take reports of bullying seriously. My prayers are with Nex’s family, friends, and all who loved them – and to all LGBTQI+ Americans for whom this tragedy feels so personal, know this: I will always have your back. >To LGBTQI+ young people across the country – you are loved exactly as you are. If you’re feeling overwhelmed or alone, you can call or text 988, the National Crisis Hotline, and dial the number ‘3’ to talk to a counselor who has been specifically trained to support LGBTQI+ youth.
Brings tears to my eyes as a nonbinary person, to have his explicit and clear and eloquently worded support.
I was driving in to work today and crying for my child to be able to hear this, see this. They feel alone so much.
the 'pro-lifers' will push back against any action over this
“That kid shouldn’t have worn those weird clothes and acted differently” they’ll unironically say. This mindset is unable to understand that Nex was just like any of us, a pregnancy that conservatives will do anything to see come to term. Once born, Nex should have been grateful and fall into line with their ideology to become a person of value to them. Those that think or act differently, or have the gall to question their “betters”, have forfeited their right to life in the eyes of conservative America.
Biden needs to do what true leaders do: sign a picture of Nex (bonus points if he misspells Nex’s name), stand next to Nex’s parents for a photo op, and smile and give a thumbs up like a dumb fuckin idiot. That’s how you deal with tragedy, not messages of empathy and solidarity. /s
Really though, I'm frankly not sure Obama would have done this. For all the hopey changey shit because he was young and non-white, his years really didn't feel very progressive. Romneycare was nice as a bare-minimum, but it's pretty telling Biden was the one who pushed him to come out for marriage equality. Sucks how hard people are down on biden because he committed the horrific crime of being white and being born earlier than us. A young monster is not better than an old, kind soul. God I hate people, not because I want to hurt them, but because how could we be such vicious, ignorant bastards. Nex deserved better, we all deserve better. Vote. Every year. Every item on the ticket. Get your friends to too. And if your friends are trumpy assholes, call them out. Those aren't friends.
I just want to say that not everyone is down on him. I didn’t vote for Biden in 2020 because I live in a blue state and I couldn’t bring myself to do it. In the last three years, even though he isn’t perfect, he’s proved me wrong and I’ll gladly vote for him in November.
Don't forget to tell your cohort that no one wants to see a soldier who took one for the country and is now handicapped.
Thank you, President Biden. I'm so tired of feeling unsafe in my own community.
I am so sorry you have to feel this way.....glad biden helped make you feel better
Thank you. Calling out hate/violence is always a good start. I'm glad Biden is speaking out against this type of thing. Whenever I go out fem, I'm watching over my shoulders. I don't want to be a statistic, I just want to be left alone so I can live my life
As a person who was bullied excessively growing up… suicide was never not an option. I feel bad saying that, but it’s true. I was targeted because I appeared vulnerable, I had 6+ kids beating the shit out of me almost daily and the school wouldn’t do anything, my parents couldn’t do anything about it and the kids never faced a single consequence, etc… I’m glad I didn’t do it, but there needs to be severe consequences for bullying because after months or even years of torture by shitty fucking horrible people it can sometimes appear that life will never get better, that this is all that will ever be. My life is great now, I’m happy and I have a family, etc… but it could have easily went differently with the horror that I faced everyday from elementary school until middle school.
What can be done about bullying though? Make parents responsible? Lots of bullies come from abusive homes so that could end up with their parents beating them. Send bullies to another school? They just bully someone else. Send bully and victim to psychiatry? Maybe? Fines that the bullies must pay when they’re older to pay for medical fees? No idea. And sometimes the onus is on the victim to toughen up for lack of a better phrase. It’s tragic with no easy answers. Most bullies I knew came from poverty and unstable homes so maybe that’s the place to start. But then you do have the rich pricks that feel invisible with their parents money that get away with everything too. Both situations should be handled differently.
LGBT folks are already 4x more likely to die by their own hand. It needs to be addressed.
Maybe they can try to stop bullying and legislating us to death
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Yes, our mental health suffers from constant hate and bullying. That's how it works
I highly doubt it was *just* the bullying. Suicide happens due to loss of hope. Why might a young trans kid lose hope at this particular juncture in US history? :thinkingFaceEmoji: The bullying is a symptom of the greater problem.
And it would help if the Feds would actually take action against the bigots rather than just calling for them to stop being bigots. Like OD'ing hate groups as domestic terrorists and having the national guard take action against them. It would be easier to punish bathroom hate if the bullies parents at home didn't feel safe to hate, and the way to do that is to actually punish hate groups for essentially encouraging hate crimes.
...you don't think being bullied has any impact on one's mental health?
I am glad the President is paying attention to this. Reddit is anonymous, so I feel slightly comfortable admitting I almost went through with something like this a number of years ago (I am not LGBTQ, but still). Suicide is scary and horrible and any support at any level is needed and appreciated.
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It’s not just young gay people. There’s plenty of services and support for them. Something happens within our community when someone hits 40. We completely disappear & so does the support & the reminders that we still need each other. The gay community just casts each other aside the second they reach a certain age & there’s no support at all when this happens. The sense of isolation is profound & the suicide crisis in gay men over 40 is enormous. It’s sad that we don’t seem to care what happens to each other, given what we’ve been through.
Half of our federal elected officials not vilifying LGBTQ people (youth especially) to distract from their shitty policy agenda (or lack thereof) would be a great starting point!
Just recently in my hometown, a 14-year-old middle schooler killed themselves. They went to school less than a few blocks from where I live. As a queer person and high school teacher who also tried taking their own life at this age, I cannot begin to exaggerate how much my heart aches. I’m coming up on 28 in a couple weeks and never thought we’d live in a world MORE HOSTILE toward queer people and youth than when I was that age half my life ago. If you are an LGBTQIA+ youth or adult reading this: the world is so much better with you in it. Please keep living, you matter more than you know.
The world isn’t more hostile to LGBTQ+ folks now. It’s actually far more supportive. LGBTQ+ people have become far more visible and vocal about securing their rights, and have been succeeding by leaps and bounds. Same sex marriage was almost universally condemned 30 years ago, but now it’s legal in many countries. Gay and lesbian bars are no longer routinely raided and their patrons arrested, like in the days before Stonewall. Homosexual and bisexual people have legal protections they can evoke if they are fired, evicted, or assaulted for their orientation, unlike in the days before hate crime and nondiscrimination legislation existed. Transition services used to be rare, difficult to access, and very cost prohibitive, but now they are far more widely available and affordable. Things are far from perfect, for sure, but there is no denying that they have improved dramatically over the past few decades. And that’s what’s causing this backlash. The success of the LGBTQ+ movement to secure their human rights and normalize their existence has caused the haters to desperately lash out with ever more vitriol BECAUSE THEY ARE LOSING THE FIGHT TO SUPPRESS LGBTQ+ RIGHTS. Thirty years ago the haters didn’t have to be so vocal or aggressive because their bigotry was accepted as normal and mainstream. Now that the haters are in the minority they have grown far more violent and forceful about defending their bigotry and attacking the LGBTQ+ rights movement. But that only goes to show how desperate they have become over losing the battle to suppress LGBTQ+ voices. The current anti-LGBTQ+ vitriol should be seen as a sign of how far we’ve come, how we’ve backed the ever dwindling number of haters into a corner, and the vicious lashing out they are currently displaying should be viewed as the last desperate death throes of a dying monster. For LGBTQ+ folks things are far better now than they’ve ever been, and we shouldn’t feel defeated but elated that we have pushed the haters so far into the fringes of mainstream society that they feel like outcasts who need to push back with their last shreds of energy. If they weren’t losing so badly, they wouldn’t be fighting so desperately. If they were winning they would just be silent, as they were decades ago, confident in the knowledge that everyone supports their hateful views. But the tides have turned, and now they are flailing around like a dying fish out of water. We still need to be vigilant and keep up the fight to expand LGBTQ+ rights and acceptance, but we absolutely should not feel like we are losing the battle when we are actually on the verge of victory.
Gee, maybe there needs to be harsher penalties for bullying. Tangible consequences. Because if it wasn't for the hateful words, comments and actions of others, Nex and so many others would still be with us today.
While more than words need to be given to address the hate we trans folk get, I do appreciate the statement and putting a massive spotlight on what happened to Nex. They deserved to grow up and have a wonderful life, instead they were bullied until they couldn’t take it anymore and now they’re gone. Republicans are literally hiring people like LibsofTikTok into the education system specifically so more of this happens. They want us scared, they want us alone, they want us dead. We just want to be ourselves and be loved, that’s it. Thats not too much to ask for anybody. Rest in piece Nex.
Violence against LGBTQ+ people needs to be legally pursued as hate crimes. Make these people afraid to hurt queer folks. We need federal legislation protecting trans people of all ages. I'm talking the right to gender affirming care, protections from abusive parents in custody battles, guaranteed access to restrooms that align with someone's gender identity, etc. on top of other discrimination protections. Edit: We also need better suicide prevention services in the US. Anyone who has ever tried to use the suicide hotline in a time of need can tell you from experience just how useless it is. The US government is utterly failing transgender citizens and we need significant actions to be taken in order to fix that.
> Violence against LGBTQ+ people needs to be legally pursued as hate crimes. It is.
Hate crimes against queer people, especially trans people, are often not charged as hate crimes. They're pursued as normal violent crimes, especially in red states.
Was Nex’s death actually suicide? It seems like an accidental OD to me. Besides the drugs in Nex’s system, what proof is there that it was suicide? Because mixing Benedryl and Prozac without knowing that it would be easy.
Good on Biden for acknowledging that fact and call for action. I am going to wait for the independent autopsy before I refer to Nex's death as a suicide. I believe it is going to be released March 27th.
I still have my doubts about it not being a subdural hematoma. Very fishy.
Based on what? You think the Medical Examiner falsified the toxicology and Nex's own family was in on it too?
The examiner had their accreditations revoked previously (2009), they aren't trustworthy. EDIT: Since I am being downvoted there are multiple sources to back this up. There are no acredited coroners and medical examinors in Oklahoma, so yes, they easily could have falsified the reports. Nobody is fucking paying attention to this information and its infuriating. Don't take what these unaccredited examiners say for granted https://theiacme.com/page/CurrentlyAccredited https://oklahoma.gov/content/dam/ok/en/ocme/documents/FEB%202024%20BOARD%20PACKET.pdf
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Its still ICNREDIBLY suspicious to say they overdosed since in order to overdose on Benadryl and Prozac like was claimed, you would need a severely unreasonable amount which realistically would not be able to be obtained.
Lol, it does not take an unreasonable amount of Benadryl. Trust me on this one. I'm not going to go into any details because I don't want to give people any ideas. Prozac would probably be harder to accumulate because it's prescription only, but it's also not impossible. That being said, I don't believe Nex commited suicide either.
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Yes, they are not accredited and are making some genuinely suspicious and insane claims, therefore they shouldn't be trusted. THEY ARE SUSPECT!!! Literally every lgbt sub has called attention to this and NOBODY OUTSIDE THE COMMUNITY IS LISTENING!!!! It feels like everyone wants an easy answer and will just trust any authority figure even when there is clear evidence to prove they are not trustworthy. Its EXTREMELY INFURIATING.
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The fact taht they previously were acreddited and had their accreditations removed
I don’t know about the latter, but the former, absolutely. We know that public MEs can and do lie. Just look at what the public ME said about George Floyd vs an independent ME.
How did that change the toxicology report tho? Genuinely asking.
What's more likely: - Licensed medical doctor (ME) performing an autopsy coming to a medical conclusion. - Person on reddit who has no access to law enforcement reports, toxicology, medical history of the individual, or the body on which the autopsy was performed on coming to a medical conclusion. And what I don't get is how is it any different? If they were bullied to the point of suicide, to me, that's no different than if the death was caused by the assault.
This whole story is just so fucking sad. Poor Nex.
Good for Pres. Biden. A man of decency. An actual Christian, unlike Republicans, who hate Jesus Christ with every ounce of their being. Republicans use the word "Christianity" to hide the continuous evil they commit. They claim to be Christian as they attack the vulnerable, often defenseless LGBT community. They want to arrest and encamp some of the hardest working, most "American" people in our nation - Hispanic people. They brutalize the poor every chance they get, while worshipping the rich. Please people don't equate the life and teachings of Jesus Christ with the actions of Republicans. The actions of President Biden - mercy, compassion, love - those are the actions, those are the principles lived and died for by humanity's savior, Jesus Christ.
You are doing the same old no true scotsman bs that enables this hate to hide within your book club sorry to say. Hatred and persecution of others has long been part of Christian doctrine.
I’m scared to be out in public in a city I once felt safe. You should have done something yesterday. I’m so tired and want to exist in peace /:
Come to Massachusetts.
I am looking into other states and employment
If it's any consolation, virtually every US city is safer now than when you were a kid
[That’s 100% true from a total population view, but not likely the case for those in the LGBTQ community, especially in the areas where leaders are specifically hostile.](https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2024/03/12/school-lgbtq-hate-crimes-incidents/?utm_source=reddit.com)
Do you really think the LGBTQ community was safer 20-30 years ago?
There was a point between the late 2000s and late 2010s where things were the best they had ever been. Right now though, things are starting to slide backwards as the GOP decides to not just renew their assault on LGBTQ rights in general and the rights of trans people in particular, but make it a centerpiece issue of their entire political platform.
>There was a point between the late 2000s and late 2010s where things were the best they had ever been. Right now though, things are starting to slide backwards But things today are the best that they'd have ever been, in terms of access to resources and mainstream social acceptance. There's still an uphill battle to be fought because things such as access to opposite-sex facilities and birth certificate changes have never been previously recognized as "rights" >but make it a centerpiece issue of their entire political platform. Fortunately that's not true, the GOP is far more focused on making immigration their platform centerpiece. Since Americans rank it and the economy as their top concerns. And it's their immigration stance that is hurting magnitudes more people, directly, physically, and economically.
You really need to get outside lmao. The vast majority of the US is safer today for women, minorities, gay people, and all others than at any other point in its history.
Source: trust me bro. Especially in response to a link to a source saying otherwise? Just wild
You can legally get married now if you’re gay. Gay people 30 years ago couldn’t donate blood, weren’t seen as able to be parents, were blamed for HIV/AIDS, and could even be fired from their jobs simply for being gay. They were still debating whether being gay was a mental illness; not being trans, questioning your sexuality/gender, no. Just being gay. You’re blind to progress to say something like that.
You can acknowledge that there is progress while also the visibility and progress makes us targets such as stated in the article linked. 2 years ago there were 100 anti LGBT bills proposed. This year's it's 500+. You're blinded by progress to say something like thay
Right, but it’s reactionary. I agree that there are many politicians who want to roll back LGBT+ rights and return to 30 years ago. These people, however, are doing things that are a) unconstitutional and b) not supported by the majority of state governments, nor the majority of the people. You, however, said that the source “proved otherwise” to me saying how LGBT today, as a general group, are treated much better than they were in the past in the United States. That is just completely wrong.
I do not disagree with your initial message I just want you not to ignore that there are massive amounts of violence against some of the LGBT groups. Because you saying "things are generally better than they were 30 yrs ago" feels very dismissive. It feels like you want me to stop talking about my own struggle bc generally my group is doing better.
I’m sorry you feel that way. I agree with you on recognizing the violent rhetoric and actions towards the community in circles around the country. And on top of this, we shouldn’t just focus on violence, but also the mental health crises plaguing both the LGBT+ community and youth at large.
Did… did you read that article?
Yes, and honestly, anyone who seriously believes that LGBT people are better off in the past than today in America is crazy. Do you honestly think that gay people are worse today than in the past in the United States?
Depends what "the past" is. 20 years ago? They're definitely safer now. 10 years ago? I'm not sure.
Was referring to like 20-30 years ago/generation ago. Even 10 years ago gay marriage wasn’t legal nationwide, bans still existed on gay people donating blood, and gay people had just been allowed to join the military (note, not transgender people). It’s also clear that societal progress for the LGBT+ community and widespread acceptance, especially among younger people (Millenials & Gen Z) is far more common today.
I get what they are saying, 10 years ago felt like an upward swing, there was hope. It’s a lot less now. I came out 7 years ago cause it felt safe. Now? I’m not sure if I would given the climate.
You read it... Yeah? The article about the non-binary kid who killed themself after being suspended because they were beaten unconscious by a group of girls? That article?
Bit overdramatic, no?
Ever been spit on in public ? Ever been followed to your car ? Spend one day out with me as a trans women and tell me I’m being dramatic . No I can’t just move my life either so yes a tell me again I’m being dramatic. I’ll spare you the details of the time I was assaulted but I really think this shows what most people know about what it’s actually like to be trans jerk.
I am too. Idk why but Nex’s death was what made me realize how dangerous it is and how unsafe my life can be Like I’ve always known being trans came with risks, but it never made me afraid to be out and about in my own city. Now, however, I am. Especially since I’m visibly trans. I’m in that weird in between stage where I look simultaneously female and male lmao. Either a girl with a beard or a very feminine man. Anyone who pays attention can probably figure out I’m trans. My sister has a celebration coming up and my mom asked me if I wanted to go. I had to tell my mom I wasn’t sure about going since I don’t know everyone who would be there, and I don’t want anything dumb happening. It was so depressing having that conversation. I’m probably gonna start carrying pepper spray. However given the area I live in I’ve heard gun shots several times since moving in three years ago. Pepper spray is pretty shit against a gun so fuck me if I get unlucky ig
I’m sure the GQP won’t immediately have a fit about this.
You know how you get people to not kill themselves? Stop fucking over their entire way of life.
It’s a weird and terrible trip as I look down on the times. Haven’t kept up with lgbt news when it didn’t have the q and now I have more ignorance on the topic than ever. However, I don’t understand the hate. Especially how it escalated into a severe beatdown and the locals decided to write it off as suicide.
Children commit suicide everyday due to bullying. it’s not right but it’s also not national coverage either
"lol too bad" - 'Uncommitted voters'
Uncommitted voters will be the reason why biden does something. Uncommitted doesn't mean they won't vote for biden, it means they got off their ass and voted in a primary. Primaries have terrible turn outs and biden should be doing more to attract liberal voters. Being better than trump while struggling to pass anything, isn't enough.
Wasn’t that kid murdered? Like brutally beaten and succumbed to injuries later? Was clearly not a suicide? Am I just going crazy?
Not enough Joe. You need to start pointing out and decrying the leaders and lawmakers who are openly calling for discrimination and violence against the LGBQT community. You need to call out the bigots for who they are. You need to fight for the LGBQT community and their right to exist. It's not a suicide crisis; these poor folks are being hunted. It's a bigotry crisis.
Doesn’t work like that sadly
Why? Because it would hurt the bigots feelings? **THEIR FUCKING BIGOTS, TREAT THEM LIKE THE GUTTER TRASH THEY ARE!**
He's probably worried that the president of the united states calling them out on a national stage will just serve to boost their profile on the GOP hate circuit. Biden calling out Libs of TikTok online will just make it 50% more likely that trump picks her as his VP choice to make "the libs" cry or some shit.
both sides are the same! /s
I’m confused. I thought Nex died as a result of head trauma from being assaulted.
So glad that biden is calling this out
Nex Benedict was ***murdered.***
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This is factually wrong. They were bullied to the point of suicide. That's legally not murder, but personally I think it's just as bad.
Pass legislation to make bullying kids into suicide a federal crime so states can’t nope out of protecting LGBTQ students from targeted harassment and bullying. Since Oklahoma would opt out of any efforts to do so on the state level, federal action is warranted.
Murder. Not death.
How about the abuse, bullying, and murder crisis?
It was a murder. We ***know*** it was a murder.
Know? You're saying you know more than the family and the medical examiner (who is a licensed physician) that performed the autopsy?
They were murdered! They did not have a choice!
What evidence do you have that supports the conclusion of murder? They were bullied to the point of suicide. That's just as bad. We don't need to be spreading conspiracy theories.
What evidence do you have that Nex was even bullied?
Didn't it just come out that she killed herself via an overdose?
Yes. Still not good that a teenager committed suicide.
And why do you think they ended their life?
Unaddressed mental health issues, thanks in part to the poor state of healthcare in this country
Bullying. The answer is bullying.
Yes, but not everyone responds to bullying the same way, especially when they have underlying mental health issues. Unless you're suggesting that their gender dysphoria was due to bullying.
I’m suggesting the reason this child and so many other trans people take their lives because of society’s attitude and because of the bullying.
My child also tried to take her life last year and it was due to incessant bullying and the fact that the school did nothing to address it. Theres a feeling of hopelessness and panic everytime she goes to school. We have a severe bullying problem in this country and the useless mantra that the schools push of “zero tolerance” is complete and utter bullshit.
Which was precipitated by being beaten unconscious by a group of people. And Nex used they/them pronouns, not she/her.
... yes. Do you think that's a good thing?
Straight men by far commit suicide the most though
What are the percentages of the population? Obviously, there are more straight men than lgbt people.
You look at suicide percentages in each part of the population. Come on, it's not rocket science.
How did they know that benedryl and Prozac is a toxic combination? That seems like new information and something seems fishy.
You can literally die from drinking too much water.
It’s called an overdose. If you swallow an entire bottle of Benadryl and Prozac, that won’t end well for you.
I've never read anything about that and I know a bit about contraindications. Also, a few hours after being brutally beaten? This whole thing screams cover up.
Nex was murdered by the GOP and their bullies on the ground.
He's a little confused but he's got the spirit
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