MONTCLAIR — Ashton Clatterbuck was remembered Saturday as a hero of transgender rights who was deeply committed to social justice and to those fortunate enough to be his friend.
The 22-year-old rookie studying news and political science at Montclair State University took his own life on Feb. 27 after having expressed pain over the widely publicized death of Nex Benedict, an intersex teenager from Owasso, Oklahoma.
Clatterbuck was the first transgender person to participate at his Moravian college in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He empathized with Nex, who apparently died on Feb. 8 — a day after an encounter with bullies.
He volunteered to compose an op-ed on gender bias for his town newspaper, but he never finished that piece.
Friends of Clatterbuck told an audience in a hall at Mountainside Medical Center on Bay Avenue that his unwavering love inspired them to make the world a nicer place.
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His awareness seemed to have rubbed off on Ira Galindo.
“I admired so much about him,” said Galindo, 19, Clatterbuck’s friend at Montclair State. “I’m truly blessed to have had that relationship with him.”
The tribute to Clatterbuck kicked off the next quarterly Trans Day of Visibility Celebration, sponsored by Out Montclair, a town-based volunteer group that raises awareness for the LGBTQ+ community.
The 6½-hour event featured food vendors, live music, and panel discussions moderated by transgender activists. There were also seven workshops, including an afternoon session on how to bind, pack, and tuck.
Marie Cottrell, the managing director of the nonprofit, said the event helps amplify the voices of transgender people and reminds everyone to live authentically.
“While we witness the progress of acceptance,” Cottrell said, “the fight for dignity and equality remains.”
About four in 10 LGBTQ+ youth seriously considered suicide in the past year, according to The Trevor Project, a California-based nonprofit.
Another key finding from its 2023 national survey on mental health was that a majority of those youth reported being verbally harassed at school because of their perceived sexual orientation.
Matthew Platkin, the state attorney general and a Montclair resident, said celebrations of transgender people have “never been more important” due to the hate targeted at their community.
“We have an obligation to stand up,” said Platkin, among five guest speakers at the event. “In my view, you either believe in equality, or you don’t. We stand up for this community every time, at every opportunity, because we believe – and I believe – in equality.”
Clatterbuck was a believer, too.
Riley Maynard, 24, a graduate student at Montclair State, recalled the walls of Clatterbuck’s bedroom covered in posters from marches and rallies that he attended.
“I was in awe of his dedication,” Maynard told the audience Saturday. “We must remember not just the person, but the purpose of his life.”
Still, his friends said there was a soft side to Clatterbuck. His roommate shared a story about the time he surprised him with a bottle of vitamin water, noting that, from there on, the surprises kept on coming.
“We loved giving each other gifts,” Galindo said. “He was a gift.”
Philip DeVencentis is a local reporter for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
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