45 Comments

I’ve made so many comments on so many posts memorializing and telling Nex’s story. My heart has been breaking over and over again these past few days. At the end of the day, the passing of legislation matters…but the effects of its mere introduction, the entertaining of these ridiculous restrictions around things like bathroom use, very often carry deadly consequences. Nex’s story is just the one we *know*. Bullying, regardless of reason, has been tolerated in this country for way too long, and teens very often carry the beliefs and anger of their adults, regardless of whether or not they understand the motivation for it.

Mourn the dead, and fight like hell for the living.

We’ll fight with empathy, compassion, science, beauty, truth, freedom, love, and all the wonderful things that make this life worth living.

But make no mistake. We’ll fight.

Expand full comment

I can’t even look at their sweet little face, this is so cruel.

These right wing monsters must have unspeakable karma visited upon them.

Expand full comment

My heart is broken.

Expand full comment
founding

Horrible tragedy and I have no words

Also I really wish the gofundme didn’t deadname and misgender them sighhhhhh it’s really hard to donate when they do that. I’ll sleep on it and maybe donate to glsen or something too but as a non-binary person using they/them pronouns the lack of respect on the gofundme bothers me

But not as much as the fact that this hateful country did this to this child

Expand full comment

Tragic. They seemed to be such a beautiful child, full of spirit. The police also suggested her death was due to other health conditions, without admitting those other conditions only became fatal after the beating. That is like saying someone died because their heart stopped, without saying their heart stopped because they were being choked. Everyone involved should be prosecuted, but that won't bring back this beautiful, vital child.

Expand full comment

Rest in Power Nex. :(. Chaya Raichik for prison!

Expand full comment

Full subbed. Had to arrange to pay through a friend, because of deadname issues, but...

I dunno. This one hits too hard. Maybe it's the utter, heartless brutality of the attack, or... something else. It's just become too much, lately. I can't even. Justice is the very least Nex deserves- but I fear they won't even be given that much dignity. A brilliant mind, snuffed out before their time. What wonders might they have discovered- how might they have bettered the lives of everyone around them? Those three little brainwashed fools deprived them, and everyone else, of the chance to find out. We lose not just a life, but a piece of our culture and of the advancement of our whole species, every time hate snuffs out such a light.

But it's more than that. I can't believe that a child, even a teenaged child, is beyond all reason yet- what horror awaits the murderers, in years to come, should they realize the full gravity of what they've done? Their parents are more to blame- they, and the stochastic terrorists on TV and right-wing scream-sites who fill their heads with lies, knowing full well what they wreak. The immediate perpetrators of this evil are victims, too, in the end. Children who could have grown up full of love and life, but who instead were twisted and weaponized as tools of hate.

We are all diminished by this- even the ones who revel in the slaughter, though they'll never admit it.

Expand full comment

Heartbreaking.

Expand full comment

This is an unspeakable tragedy. Pure evil. My heart grieves and I am basically at a loss for words. Despite that, I am grateful to Erin for covering such a deeply tragic story.

Expand full comment

I dunno. This one is breaking me. Not just the utter cruelty of those three children (may they live long enough to utterly rue the day) but the complete failure of any adult to do anything, the nurse, the school administration, the hospital, the police. The police. One can simply not trust that they will do anything to keep lgbtq+ folks alive or find out who killed them to begin with. The utter depravity of the community.

Expand full comment
founding

My nightmare

Expand full comment

Chaiya Raichik has blood on her hands.

Expand full comment

Really good writeup. I remember Matthew Shepard too. Change will be up to us to not let Nex happen again.

Expand full comment

Everything about Nex reminds me of my kid. Rest in peace, sweet one. I’m sorry.

Expand full comment

The only men who think that transgender youths in bathrooms are dangerous are men who would sneak into women's bathrooms to get their jollies. Transgender youths are not dangerous, they are at risk from jackanapes like that.

Expand full comment

This is crazy, disgusting, and heartbreaking. I see the effects all this is having on citizens of this country. I'll be out somewhere and hear the most disgusting things coming out of the mouths of strangers. We transmen fly under the radar, so we'll be anywhere and hear cisgender heterosexual people talking negatively about us. Because I'm alone, I can't say anything or that hatred will be directed straight at me. I have said minor things or just walked away.

Here's an example I created and it was no stranger: https://youtu.be/yLgadKi61OY?feature=shared.

Sure reminds me of what was going on during the civil rights movement, but nobody is fighting back. It's mind-boggling and folks are paralyzed.

I don't know what else to say except RIP Nex.

Expand full comment