ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Nearly three weeks have passed since Katelyn Rinetta Benoit, a transgender student at the School of the Arts, took her own life.

On Sunday, dozens from the LGBTQ+ community gathered for a vigil to honor her memory at the First Unitarian Church of Rochester.

“We’re here to celebrate the life of our community member, our youth, our siblings,” said Brittan Hardgers, president of Next Generation Men of Transition, one of the vigil’s organizers.

Hardgers, a transgender man, expressed his sorrow over another prominent death in the trans community, referencing the recent killing of transgender man Sam Nordquist in Canandaigua.

“It’s painful. It continues to happen,” Hardgers said. “It reminded me of Sam. It reminded me of just the hostile attacks that are against the trans community.”

Parents of transgender children also emphasized the need for change.

“My kid would tell you that I was their first bully and now I am their biggest champion,” said a local advocate, going by “Mama T,” a parent of a transgender child. “So it really goes back to filling the needs that the kids have.”

A petition is currently circulating to urge the Rochester City School District to better protect transgender and LGBTQ+ students.

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