06/04/2024
In the wake of the death of Oklahoma Student Nex Benedict, who was non-binary and murdered by two hetero cisgender conservative students in a violent and unprovoked attack whilst at school, the Christian Science Monitor, the daily newspaper of the small Christian Scientist religion, meets with LGBTQIA+ Oklahomans who are staying in the state and trying to influence change from within the territory, which the paper notes, is highly conservative and reactionary. The paper says "Last year, lawmakers across the U.S. introduced nearly 500 bills that would have restricted the rights of LGBTQ+ people. Of those, half targeted transgender children and teens, according to a report from the Williams Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles, which researches laws and policies pertaining to sexual orientation and gender identity. Many of these conservative-backed efforts failed, but Oklahoma is among the states where at least one bill prevailed and became law. Sooner State lawmakers banned gender-affirming care for minors in 2023 and, the year prior, mandated that students use bathrooms aligned with their sex assigned at birth." The paper also meets Kris Holmes, who is non-binary. They serve as a youth minister at House Church Tulsa, an open and affirming faith community, and live near family. “Oklahoma is just a place that drew me back,” they say. “I feel like there’s a lot of potential and opportunity for change.” Mx. Holmes believes churches, which play an outsize role in Oklahoma culture, could be a driving force behind promulgating lasting change. But they say it will take a different kind of approach. “My heart is all life is sacred – conservative, liberal, whatever your label is,” they say. “If we can entertain conversations and we can enter spaces where we believe that’s true – and other people that enter those spaces believe that’s true – that’s where we’re going to see change.”
https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Education/2024/0229/In-the-wake-of-teen-s-...
