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Owasso, Okla.— A non-binary sophomore at Owasso High School has died after suffering a violent beating in the school’s bathroom. Nex Benedict, 16, was attacked on February 7, and the following day they died in the hospital.
Communities across the state are demanding answers as to the delay between the incident and officials alerting the media.
Even though the incident occurred at school, no school officials called for paramedics. KJRH Tulsa’s news Channel 2 broke the story and spoke to a parent of Benedict’s best friend.
According to the parent, three older high school students also attacked her child alongside Benedict. “I know at one point, one of the girls was pretty much repeatedly beating [their] head across the floor,” she told KJRH. Several bystanders began to break up the altercation until a teacher entered to help.
Following the fight, all parties walked to the principal’s office and nurse’s station. The nurse did not call for a paramedic but did suggest that Benedict be taken by a guardian to a medical facility for further evaluation. It was ultimately Benedict’s mother who took them to the hospital.
The Owasso Police Department responded to a call from Benedict’s parent. When they arrived at the hospital the parent informed them about the fight. Prior to this call, they had not been notified of the incident, but a school resource officer reportedly took a statement from Benedict’s parent.
The hospital released Benedict later that night. However, they returned the next day and unfortunately passed away.
District’s Response
Owasso Public School District has released the following statement,
“Owasso Public Schools has cooperated fully with the investigation by the Owasso Police Department surrounding the death of a high school student on February 8, 2024. The district has limited its statements on the matter to this point due to the on-going investigation in an effort to not disrupt police, and out of respect and for the confidentiality for all involved.
However, the speculation and misinformation surrounding the case has intensified in recent days. While there will still be pieces of information that the district will never be able to share due to federal privacy laws, we are reaching out to you today to address some of that misinformation, particularly statements that call into question the district’s commitment to student safety & security.”
The statement goes on to give a timeline of the events that took place on Feb. 7.
The incident apparently lasted around two minutes. During that time bystanders and a teacher began to intervene. All involved parties were instructed to go to the assistant principal’s office and nurse’s station. Following this, statements about what occurred were taken by the assistant principal then parents and guardians were notified. From this point forward Benedicts was transported to Bailey Medical Center by their guardian.
OPD is actively investigating the incident and will be interviewing school staff and students over the next two weeks. They released a statement on February 21 saying that trauma was not the cause of death and are awaiting the toxicology report.
As of Friday, Feb. 23, body cam footage from the officer that took a statement from the Benedict and their mother has been released. Also released was video from the surveillance camera outside the school bathroom where the altercation took place.
Candlelight Vigil
Rural Oklahoma Pride has planned a vigil for Benedict on February 24, in Oklahoma City. The organization’s purpose is to help the 2SLGBTQ+ community in Oklahoma’s rural areas.
The vigil will be at Point A Gallery on Saturday evening, and the organizers are asking attendees to bring their candles. This will be an opportunity for fellow members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community and allies to honor their lost non-binary sibling.
GoFundMe, Mother Speaks Out
A GoFundMe fundraiser was set up to cover funeral costs and has reached well over its goal. Sue Benedict, the mother of Nex commented on the campaign saying,
“We at this time are thankful for the ongoing support and did not expect the love from everyone. We are sorry for not using their name correctly and as parents we were still learning the correct forms. Please do not judge us as Nex was judged, please do not bully us for our ignorance on the subject. Nex gave us that respect and we are sorry in our grief that we overlooked them. I lost my child, the headstone will have [the] correct name of their choice. The rest of monies will go to other children dealing with the right to be who they feel they are, in Nex Benedict’s name. God bless”
Sue Benedict
Response from ACLU Oklahoma
The American Civil Liberties Union of Oklahoma released a statement on the matter.
“We are gravely heartbroken to learn about the death of Nex Benedict and extend our overwhelming condolences to their family, their friends, and the entire transgender community across Oklahoma. The assault on Nex is an inevitable result of the hateful rhetoric and discriminatory legislation targeting Oklahoma trans youth. We challenged Oklahoma’s law requiring schools to discriminate against students like Nex because we believe every student should have the safe and affirming environment they need to thrive, and policies that put transgender students in danger make schools less safe places for all students.”
ACLU Oklahoma
Response from Freedom Oklahoma
Non-profit organization Freedom Oklahoma advocates for the 2SLGBTQ+ community across the state. They have also released a statement:
“While we continue to piece together the full story, we wanted to reach out to our community grappling with this horrific harm, and the grief we all share as we reflect on the growing anti-2SLGBTQ+ sentiments our youngest community members are facing more often, fueled by state law and the rhetoric around it, words and actions of our state elected officials, and the growing platforms those in power are giving to people like Chaya Raichik who continues to use her platform in a way that leads others to threaten real harm at Oklahoma kids.”
Freedom Oklahoma
Executive Director of Freedom Oklahoma, Nicole McAfee provided a comment to The Black Wall Street Times:
“Our Freedom Oklahoma team has an abundance of gratitude for everyone coming together and asking how they can honor Nex in death. And we know the most honest answer to that is to fight for 2STGNC+ youth while they’re still alive. Nex’s mom has reported more than a year of bullying that pre-dated Nex’s death. From our community work, students across Oklahoma have reported increased bullying since the influx of hostile school environment policies that target discrimination at 2STGNC+ youth and push out affirming teachers. Nex deserved the safety to thrive in and beyond school. Nex will never know that safety, but folks can begin to disrupt the hateful policies and rhetoric to ensure that other 2STGNC+ students in and beyond Oklahoma can.”
Nicole McAfee
Oklahoma’s Hostile Environment for Trans, Non-Binary, and Queer Youth
Like many Republican-dominated states, Oklahoma elected officials have been accused of creating an unsafe environment, particularly for the 2SLGBTQ+ community.
Rep. Mauree Turner, the state’s first and only non-binary Representative called for a moment of silence for Nex on the House floor Monday.
“I don’t think it’s lost on me that we lost a student far too soon in Oklahoma and that happens often at the rhetoric and the fuel of some of the things we do here.” Turner continued, “I hope that you’ll keep them in your thoughts and prayers and specifically, if you live in the Owasso area that you reach out to the family.”
Recently, State Superintendent Ryan Walters appointed Chaya Raichek to a library advisory board. Raichek is the person behind the inflammatory Libs of TikTok X (Twitter) account which has inspired many to call in bomb threats to various institutions across the country.
Critics of Raichek have taken to social media to call her out for her alleged influence on hostile school environments. Some believe that by spreading hateful rhetoric about trans and queer people Raichek inadvertently influences attacks against vulnerable communities in what’s known as stochastic terrorism.
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Anti-2SLGBTQ+ Legislation
Currently, the ACLU of Oklahoma is working to get Senate Bill 613 repealed. Passed by Governor Stitt last year, the bill prohibits trans and non-gender-conforming youth from receiving gender-affirming care. The law penalizes parents and medical providers if they allow minors to obtain hormone replacement therapy or gender-affirming surgery.
Megan Lambert, Legal Director with ACLU OK on the bill said, “Not only do trans youth deserve the adequate health care these laws are trying to deny them, but they have the right to access gender-affirming health care under the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.”
The ACLU is also tracking numerous bills that attack the rights of 2SLGBTQ+ Oklahomans and youth. One bill would ban the display of pride flags in government buildings.
In March 2022, Gov. Stitt signed the “Save Women’s Sports Act.” Although the name may seem innocuous, the law complicates the lives of trans and non-gender conforming athletes. The act prohibits trans girls and women from competing with and against cisgender girls/women. The law also prohibits trans men from competing with cisgender men.
This story covers an ongoing investigation and has been updated as of Friday Feb. 23 at 8:00 pm.
To seek mental health support, call Trans Lifeline at 877-565-8860, the Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386 or text START to 678-678, or call the LGBT Hotline 888-843-4564.
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