Earlier last week, Oklahoma teen Nex Benedict collapsed after school after an altercation in the girls’ bathroom earlier that day at the school they attend, where relatives have said that they have been bullied for being non-binary and using they/them pronouns.
“Whether Nex died as a direct result of injuries sustained in the brutal hate-motivated attack at school or not, Nex’s death is a result of being the target of physical and emotional harm because of who Nex was,” the LGBTQ advocacy group Freedom Oklahoma declared Monday.
According to Minus18, an LGBTQ charity initiative, “The gender binary is the Western concept that there are only two gender options: male or female…In really simple terms, a non-binary person is someone who does not identify as exclusively a man or a woman. Someone who is non-binary might feel like a mix of genders or like they have no gender at all”.
Nex’s Mother, Sue, claimed the bullying began early in the 2023-2024 school year, shortly after Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt signed a bill that required public school students to use restrooms that match their sex at birth.
On February 7th, the bullying developed into an altercation after Nex and another transgender student got into a fight with three girls in the restroom at Owasso High School. Nex was knocked to the ground during the battle and hit their head. Sue told The Independent that she “was called to the school that day to find Nex badly beaten with bruises over their face and eyes, and with scratches on the back of their head”. Owasso High School failed, did not call the police or ambulance after the altercation, and Nex was suspended.
Sue took Nex to The Bailey Medical Center in Owasso for treatment, was discharged that night, and went to bed like they always did. The following day, Nex and Sue got up to go to Tulsa for a doctor’s appointment when Nex collapsed in the living room. Ms. Benedict took their child to St. Francis Pediatric Emergency Room, where Nex was declared dead shortly after.
The Owasso Police Department released a statement on February 21st to say Nex’s autopsy declared their death as not a result of trauma. “While the investigation continues into the altercation, preliminary information from the medical examiner’s office is that a complete autopsy was performed and indicated that the decedent did not die as a result of trauma,” police said. A spokesperson for the Owasso school district declined to provide any information when interviewed by local news networks.
Nex’s funeral was held on February 15th. Police officers of Owassa and other neighboring towns were provided as an escort with the local chapter of Bikers Against Child Abuse to escort the family from the service to the burial. A GoFundMe was created to help the Benedict family cover funeral costs. As of February 22nd, the page has raised 110,772 dollars, and Sue plans on donating the money to LGBTQ anti-bullying organizations. “Nex had a light in them that was so big, they had so many dreams. I want their light to keep shining for everyone. That light was so big, bright, and beautiful, and I want everyone to remember Nex that way.” Said Sue.
