St. Louis Area Open & Affirming Congregations of the United Church of Christ
Call to ActionOn February 7, after a year of being bullied, Nex Benedict, a 16-year-old Choctaw Indigenous gender-fluid teen in Oklahoma, was brutally assaulted in a bathroom by his classmates and died the next day.1,2 Nex had bruises all over his face and eyes, scratches on the back of their head, and severe head injuries, but school officials didn't even call an ambulance or medical help.3 It's completely unacceptable. Nex should be alive today.
Will you join Nex's family and loved ones' demands for an investigation and for those responsible for Nex's death to be held accountable and sign the petition NOW? Sue Benedict, Nex's grandmother said, "I was so proud of Nex. They were going some place, they were so free. Nex had a light in them that was so big, they had so many dreams. I want their light to keep shining for everyone. That light was so big and bright and beautiful, and I want everyone to remember Nex that way."4 Nex will never get to draw, read, play video games, or play with his cat Zeus (all things they loved to do) ever again. Ms. Benedict will never get to hold her grandchild again. We can't and won't let Nex's family's call for an investigation go unanswered. Click here to sign the petition to demand those responsible for Nex's death be held accountable NOW. Nex was taken from this world entirely too soon, and their death is reverberating in young LGBTQ+ communities across Oklahoma and across the country. A hotline run by Rainbow Youth Project USA received 237 calls from Oklahoma youth over the weekend, nearly three times what it logs in an average week.5 The LGBTQ+ community deserves more. LGBTQ+ youth deserves more. We cannot become numb to this cruelty and violence that is fueled by Republican's hateful, transphobic, and homophobic legislation. Will you sign the petition to demand justice for Nex? Nex had been bullied for months after Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt made it mandatory by law for Oklahoma public school students to use only bathrooms that match their sex assigned at birth. Gov. Stitt and Superintendent Walters recently appointed Raichik—a right-wing activist known for targeting LGBTQ+ teachers—to the Library Media Advisory Committee of the state Department of Education, even after she targeted Nex's school district in 2022, coming after a teacher voiced their support for their LGBTQ+ students, which resulted in the resignation of that educator.6 Elected officials hold so much power in their words, actions, and legislation—and they must be held responsible when they neglect their constituents and encourage and allow violence. Hateful, transphobic, and homophobic rhetoric and legislation has devastating consequences. Nex is gone, but we can't let that be the end. Those responsible must be held to account. We need an investigation. Click here to sign the petition. Every year that conservatives are allowed to throw temper tantrums about the advancement of civil rights, the quality of life for LGBTQ+ people, particularly trans and nonbinary people, deteriorates across the U.S. We must hold elected officials and Republicans accountable for their transphobic, homophobic, and violent rhetoric. School officials completely and totally failed Nex, and now Nex is gone. Pure, unadulterated hatred has taken him from their family. Will you sign the petition to echo their demands for an investigation and for those responsible to be held accountable? This is state-sanctioned violence in the form of legislation and moral conservative outrage that's meant to intimidate and eradicate the LGBTQ+ community. Gov. Stitt's bathroom bill put a target on trans and nonbinary children's backs, and the blame for Nex's death lies not just with the girls who brutally assaulted him, not just with the school officials for their inaction, but also with Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt, State Superintendent Ryan Walters, and Chaya Raichik, and they must be held accountable. LGBTQ+ and gender-diverse students deserve to learn without fear of bullying, harassment, or violence. Click here to sign the petition if you agree, and then pass it along to three friends to spread the word. Thanks for all you do. –Nakia, Jensine, Oscar, Jaira, and the rest of the team P.S. Several of Nex's friends have shared that Nex preferred he/him pronouns, but also went by they/them pronouns.7 Throughout this e-mail, we use both to honor the fullness of Nex's identity. Sources: 1. "The death of an Oklahoma teen after a fight in school has LGBTQ+ advocates seeking answers," CNN, February 21, 2024 https://act.moveon.org/go/187663?t=10&akid=377236%2E18462870%2EyaXaQw 2. "LGBTQ+ Leaders Call For DOJ To Investigate Nex's Death," Erin In The Morning, February 22, 2024 https://act.moveon.org/go/187723?t=12&akid=377236%2E18462870%2EyaXaQw 3. "Nex Benedict: Non-binary student who died after Oklahoma bathroom assault was a 'shining light'," February 22, 2024 https://act.moveon.org/go/187724?t=14&akid=377236%2E18462870%2EyaXaQw 4. Ibid. 5. "Top GOP School Official Appoints Woman Behind 'Libs Of TikTok' To Key Position," Huffington Post, January 23, 2024 https://act.moveon.org/go/187661?t=16&akid=377236%2E18462870%2EyaXaQw 6. "Crisis calls from the 2SLGBTQ+ youth community triple within 72 hours," KTUL, February 20, 2024 https://act.moveon.org/go/187692?t=18&akid=377236%2E18462870%2EyaXaQw 7. "Friends remember Nex Benedict, Oklahoma student who died after school fight, as 'fiery kid'" NBC News, February 25, 2024 https://act.moveon.org/go/188078?t=20&akid=377236%2E18462870%2EyaXaQw DonationsAs a non-profit group, we welcome and appreciate any donations you wish to send. Checks can be made payable to "Gateway ONA" and sent to:
Mr. Greg Schmelig, Treasurer Parkway United Church of Christ 2841 North Ballas Road Saint Louis, MO 63131 Other communications may be sent to Gateway ONA 3510 Giles Avenue Saint Louis, MO 63116 |
Pride stl signupGateway ONA is excited to be back at Pride STL.
Please consider joining us by scanning the QR code or going to https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C084EA5A82EA4FCCE9-48501029-stlpride to signup. A Message from Sharon Love:Annual ConvocationRainbow Comma T-Shirts
Classic Rainbow Comma "3 Great Loves" Rainbow Comma We are selling the shirts at cost, so Gateway ONA makes no profit on them. You pay only for your shirt and its shipping cost. Due to limitations in Redbubble's interface, some of the shirt styles allow you to select white or grey background colors. We ask that you choose a "rainbow" color as the background color of your shirt. This is both so that the white writing on the shirt is readable, and so that we look colorful in the PrideFest parade. Thank you, and please contact us if you have any questions or concerns. |
WE ARE UCCThe United Church of Christ (UCC) is a distinct and diverse community of Christians that come together as one church to join faith and action. We believe in a God that is still speaking, a God that is all-loving and inclusive. We are a church that welcomes and accepts everyone as they are, where your mind is nourished as much as your soul. Our faith is over 2,000 years old...our thinking is NOT.
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WE ARE OPEN & AFFIRMINGTo say that a UCC church is “Open and Affirming” means that it has publicly and specifically declared that those of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions (LGBTQ) are welcome in its full life and ministry. ONA congregations offer a spirit of hospitality and show a willingness to live out that extravagant welcome in meaningful ways.
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WE ARE GATEWAYGateway ONA is a coalition of LGBTQ Open & Affirming congregations of the United Church of Christ (UCC) in the St. Louis area. We provide support to our member churches, run a resource hotline, host annual events to educate on LGBT issues and have a presence at PRIDE.
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