People attend a candlelight vigil for 16-year-old nonbinary scholar Nex Benedict on February 25, 2024 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Benedict died sooner or later after a bodily altercation in an Owasso High School ladies’ toilet.

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People attend a candlelight vigil for 16-year-old nonbinary scholar Nex Benedict on February 25, 2024 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Benedict died sooner or later after a bodily altercation in an Owasso High School ladies’ toilet.

J Pat Carter/Getty Images

Suicide charges for queer and trans individuals are disproportionately excessive. They’re additionally routinely targets of violence and hate crimes.

While some states have protections for queer and trans individuals, many different states have handed legal guidelines that limit the rights and visibility of transgender people.

The tales of Nex Benedict and Dime Doe illustrate each these tendencies.

Benedict died by suicide the day after a bodily altercation of their faculty toilet. Benedict had been bullied by different college students for greater than a yr.

Dime Doe, a Black trans lady, was killed in 2019. Last month a person who had been in a relationship with Doe was discovered responsible of killing her. It’s the primary time a hate crime towards a trans particular person was dropped at trial.

What do these instances inform us in regards to the lives of trans and queer individuals in America?

If you or somebody you understand wants assist, name or textual content 988 to succeed in the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

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This episode was produced by Brianna Scott, who additionally contributed reporting. It was edited by Courtney Dorning. Our government producer is Sami Yenigun.