top of page
Search

Nex Benedict: The Latest Victim in a War Against LGBTQIA2S+ Youth (By Clara Carter-Klauschie)

Updated: May 18, 2024



TW: Mentions of suicide and violence.


Nex Benedict, a 16-year-old gender-non-conforming and Indigenous student of Owasso High School in Oklahoma, was pronounced dead on Feb. 8, 2024. They died one day after sustaining head injuries from what the Oklahoma Public School System (OPS) described as a “physical altercation” in the girls' bathroom. Sue Benedict, Nex’s mother, gave an account of the incident, telling The Independent that her child was attacked by three girls who beat their head repeatedly against the bathroom floor, forming deep bruises around their eyes. While school officials determined that it was not necessary to call an ambulance, nor inform the police of the attack, Nex’s family checked them into Bailey Medical Center later that night. 


In a video released by the Owasso Police Department, Nex described the incident, telling an officer that they had poured water on three girls who were making fun of them. They recounted the girls’ retaliation, describing being knocked to the bathroom floor, violently beaten up, and blacking out as a result of the head trauma. Body cam footage from Sue Benedict’s conversation with law enforcement on that day shows that officers discouraged the filing of a police report, citing that doing so might open up the family to legal liability. They added that it would be unfortunate for any of the students involved to gain criminal records for “something so minuscule.” Returning home from Bailey Medical Center later that day, Nex began to complain of head pain. Their subsequent collapse on Feb. 8 prompted readmission to the medical center, where their death was later confirmed. 


Autopsy reports from the Oklahoma Medical Examiner’s Office have since confirmed that Nex’s death was not a result of the injuries they underwent. The death resulted from the toxicity of ingesting two different medications and was classified as a suicide. While Nex’s death was not physically linked to the bodily trauma they underwent, it was a direct result of the culture of queerphobia that continues to run rampant in much of the United States. Nex’s mother explained that they had been the target of severe, ongoing bullying from students at school following the passing of legislation that requires students to use the bathroom that aligns with their assigned gender at birth. Youth across the country lack adequate protection against bullying on the basis of gender identity, largely due to the propagation of anti-trans sentiment within many schools. 


Ryan Walters, the Oklahoma State Superintendent of Public Instruction, is largely to blame for OPS’ shortcomings in this area. Walters holds extremist views pertaining to trans youth and has assailed school districts, teacher’s unions, and even individual educators who he claimed were promulgating “radical gender theory” and even “pornography” in educational settings. He is a staunch supporter of the censorship of educational resources through the banning of books and prohibition of any mention or remote acceptance of LGBTQIA2S+ identities. 


Notably, he has been condemned by many for allowing Chaya Raichik, founder of the anti-LGBTQIA2S+ X group “Libs of TikTok,” to serve on Oklahoma’s Library Media Advisory Committee. Raichik’s mentions of numerous teachers, schools, and medical facilities on her page have directly spurred violence on innumerable occasions. Frequently making unfounded claims that teachers and schools are “grooming” children, she aims to advance the anti-queer agenda. Following their feature on Raichik’s TikTok, multiple schools and medical facilities have received bomb threats. The Oklahoma school system’s inclusion of Raichik on their advisory board is a frightening indicator of their allegiance with violent anti-LGBTQIA2S+ initiatives. \


Even following Nex’s death, Walters was sure to uphold his narrow-minded convictions concerning gender divergence. He told The New York Times, “There’s not multiple genders. There’s two. That’s how God created us,” erasing the trans and non-binary experience by way of his own religious and conservative ideological mindset. Walters maintained that the Oklahoma school system would neglect to use names and pronouns not stipulated on a student’s birth certificate or aligned with their assigned gender at birth. Trans and gender-nonconforming students directly suffer from Walters’ promotion of deadnaming, misgendering, and other anti-trans sentiments within schools. 


Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond and Gov. Kevin Stitt have also backed discrimination through their support of recent legislation. This includes bans on gender-affirming care for minors, the prohibition of gender-neutral markers on birth certificates, and the “bathroom bill,” which requires that public bathrooms be separated by “biological sex.” The Oklahoma legislature is also deliberating the enactment of a bill that requires public schools to promote the idea that gender is a biological trait and subsequently prevent the use of transgender students’ preferred names and pronouns by school staff. Also on the docket is a measure dubbed the “Patriotism Not Pride Act,” which would ban the display of  LGBTQIA2S+ flags or symbols by state bureaus. 


Many queer Oklahoma students rightfully place the blame for the bullying they have endured on bigoted public officials and politicians in their state. Anti-LGBTQIA2S+ policies in schools have undoubtedly thrown fuel into the fire of hatred toward queer people, creating harmful school environments. The Trevor Project’s 2023 annual survey of queer youth underscores this issue on a national level. They found that nearly 1 in 3 LGBTQ young people saw their poor mental health as a result of anti-LGBTQ policies and 41% of LGBTQ young people seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year. Suicide statistics rose significantly among non-cisgender and BIPOC youth, with non-cisgender youth who felt their pronouns were respected by their community reporting lower rates of suicide attempts. Despite the widespread nature of mental illness in the queer community, 56% of LGBTQ young people who sought mental health care were unable to receive it. 


Nex had been struggling with mental health long before their death, presumably brought on by constant ridicule of their identity. Their blood is on the hands of the Oklahoma Public School System and the numerous lawmakers who continue to devalue the lives of queer students and propagate exclusion in school settings. If decisive action is not taken to protect and liberate queer youth, lives will continue to be taken through direct violence, lack of mental health support, and the further infiltration of queerphobia. Comprehensive and inclusive education is necessary to produce a new generation of young people who hold love for themselves and their peers while acknowledging the beauty of individuality. 


Sources:

Comments

©2022 by Muse Magazine Proudly created with Wix.com

bottom of page