Bekett Noble Obituary, Death – Bekett Noble, a student at Redeemer University, had a firm conviction that the educational system might undergo transformation. Noble had been writing to staff and instructors at the university about the daily microaggressions that were directed toward LGBTQ+ students for a number of years. Noble took part in the meetings with the employees and brought up the subject, pleading for assistance and begging for it repeatedly. They participated in a committee for LGBTQ+ relations with professors and student Senate members, and they established an organization called Genesis with the intention of providing support to queer students.
“I have advocated in every way I know how, despite the fact that all of those ways put me well outside of my comfort zone,” Noble noted in an email. “I have done so despite the fact that all of those ways put me well outside of my comfort zone.” They had worked with Redeemer officials to “look at the adverse impacts of the way LGBTQ+ students are treated and how to effect good change.” This had been accomplished in a “gentle and sensitive” manner.
They discovered that certain members of the faculty and staff were prepared to listen, but that this did not result in any changes being made since officials from Redeemer “are hesitant to change” for the benefit of donors. After some time had passed, Noble took a look around and came to the conclusion that it was “obvious to me that nothing substantial was going to happen.” They learnt very fast about the “detrimental consequences” that conservative religious organizations can have on the mental, physical, and academic health of queer people.
Noble remarked that “things need to be expressed more bluntly because they are really serious” and that if change did not occur quickly, “someone was going to die.” These statements were made with the intention of perhaps affecting a change in the culture at the university. However, change did not occur, and on November 23, Noble took their own life in the office of the university counselor. An long email letter outlining Noble’s opinions, anxieties, and solutions to assist queer and trans students who are still attending Redeemer University was sent on November 24 at 8:00 a.m. to several university administrators.