…for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.

Matthew 25:35-36

Nex Benedict Should Be Alive Today

I’m heartbroken by the beating Nex Benedict suffered in a school bathroom in Oklahoma. I imagine many Pilgrims are too. I’m heartbroken that they’ve died. School bullying and fights have gotten a lot of press over the last several years, but once again we find a young person’s life marred by violence.

It’s clear: we’re not doing enough to protect non-binary and trans people.

The news today indicates that Nex likely did not die from injuries in the fight, but rather from other causes. If the fight in the bathroom led to Nex taking their own life, it’s still a terrible tragedy.

We all lose.

What’s a Christian response to violence like this?

Is that even the right question? Because hidden within it is the idea that there should be a Christian response to non-binary and transgendered humanity, and the ways we protect (or fail to protect) those who do not fit society’s standard definitions. Is the world waiting to hear what we think? Not exactly. Our relevance isn’t what it was. On the other hand, you may, like me, come to a Christian conviction that we need to be better at protecting non-binary and transgender youth and adults from discrimination and bullying.

For me, it’s rooted in the Matthew passage above. Not that non-binary and transgendered people are “least” in my opinion, but they seem to be treated like the least by others. Jesus called us to serve the world as it is, not the world as we wish it was. He lived under empire. He knew the threat of violence. I don’t believe Jesus would instruct us to bully people like Nex, or to leave them feeling “less than” others.

Lost Light

Every person who’s not exactly like us offers us a chance to understand God’s creation in a different light. When we lose someone like Nex, we lose some of their impact, some of the beauty, some of the diversity of creation. I’m sad we’ve lost more illumination, and I’m sorry for the pain Nex and their family and friends endured and are enduring.

I imagine we’ll learn more in the days and weeks ahead. For now, as the minister of an Open and Affirming Church in the United Church of Christ, I’d like to add my voice to the chorus that says, “No, this should not have happened again.” We need to protect our youth from violence and bullying. And we need to specifically protect non-binary and trans youth from those who marginalize and hurt them.

How many more lights need to go out before Christians will stand with one voice to say, “No more?”