Nonbinary teen Nex Benedict died Feb. 8, the day after being involved in a fight with three fellow high school students in Owasso, Oklahoma. That’s what we know to be true. The rest of Nex’s story has been a back-and-forth of misinformation, lack of transparency and confusion.
Nex’s funeral was held on Feb. 15, and the following day, the Pittsburg Lesbian, a queer media outlet, covered Nex’s death in a piece entitled, “Grieving Nex Benedict: the Brutal Killing of 16-year-old Nonbinary Student in an Oklahoma High School.” Before that, only a few mainstream outlets covered the student’s death, calling it “unexpected” and referring to Nex by their dead name. The Pittsburgh Lesbian’s coverage opened the floodgates and queer media and mainstream outlets began reporting on the issue. Here’s what we know.
On Feb. 7, Nex was in a physical altercation in a school bathroom with three other students. While some outlets have said that Nex was unable to even walk to the nurse’s office after the fight, Owasso police issued a statement that “all students involved in the altercation walked under their own power to the assistant principal’s office and nurse’s office.”
Also, according to the police statement, it was determined that an ambulance was not necessary. However, it was recommended by the Owasso High School nurse that Nex seek further medical attention. Nex did seek medical care at the Bailey Medical Center, where a school resource officer visited and interviewed Nex and their guardian about the incident, according to the police statement. This interview and subsequent report have yet to be made available to the public.
On Feb. 8, paramedics were called to the Benedict family home. Responding to a medical emergency call regarding Nex, paramedics took Nex to the St. Francis Pediatric Emergency Room, where they later died.
Since Nex’s death, calls for transparency about the assault at the school and the investigation have been met with measured responses. The Owasso Police Department has said this is an ongoing investigation and that detectives “are and will be interviewing school staff and students over the course of the next two weeks and in turn will be submitting our investigation to the Tulsa County District Attorney’s Office for prosecution review.”
On Feb. 20, nearly two weeks after Nex’s death, Owasso High School released a statement titled “Update on Student Passing” which does not actually name Nex Benedict. The statement says the school is cooperating with law enforcement and reiterates the police department’s sequence of events. The statement ended with, “The loss of a student, a member of the Ram Family and the Owasso community, is devastating. We recognize the impact that this event has had on the entire school community and it is our priority to foster an environment where everyone feels heard, supported, and safe.”
According to a former Owasso High School student, the environment at the school was far from safe and supportive for LGBTQ+ students. Feb. 22 on X, transgender journalist and Harvard Law Cyberlaw Clinic instructor Alejandra Caraballo posted a video from a former Owasso student.
The student, who is not named, graduated last year. In the video, the student says, “The school administration has never cared about its LGBTQ+ students.” The former student, who was out as queer and trans at the school, recalls being bullied daily and called anti-LGBTQ+ slurs by both students and faculty. They go on to say, “The murder of Nex Benedict is a direct product of their design.”
On Feb, 20, the Benedict family also released a statement through their attorney.
“Many of the questions posed by friends, family, media and other concerned citizens are also top of mind for those left to honor Nex’s memory. While various investigations are still pending, the facts currently known by the family, some of which have been released to the public, are troubling at best. We urge those tasked with investigating and prosecuting all potentially liable parties to do so fully, fairly and expediently.
Not withstanding, the family is independently interviewing witnesses and collecting all available evidence. The Benedict Family calls on all school, local, state and national officials to join forces to determine why this happened, to hold those responsible to account and to ensure it never happens again.”
On Feb. 21, the Owasso Police Department released a statement with only preliminary findings and claimed that Nex did not die from injuries sustained in the assault. “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. At this time, any further comments on the cause of death are currently pending until toxicology results and other ancillary testing results are received. The official autopsy report will be available at a later date.”
Earlier this month, Oklahoma State Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters announced he was appointing Chaya Raichik to the state’s Library Media Advisory Committee. Raichik is the founder of Libs of TikTok, a popular X account that the American Civil Liberties have named an “online amplifier of anti-LGBTQ+ extremism”.
Raichik, who has no background in education or library science, is not the parent of a child in Oklahoma and does not live in the state, had posted in 2022 about an elementary school librarian in Tulsa. Schools in the district received several bomb threats in the subsequent days. Of her appointment, Walters posted on X, “When liberals attack you know you’re on the right track. Proud to have @ChayaRaichik10 leading our book review in Oklahoma. She’s struck a nerve at the heart of extremism. We will make our schools better!”
Walters has recently posted statements like “Drag queens do not belong in Oklahoma schools. Zero tolerance. Principal with drag queen side gig resigns under pressure from Oklahoma schools official” and “Joe Biden’s attempt to destroy athletic opportunities for our women and girls is immoral as it is illegal. Our daughters shouldn’t pay the price so Biden can cozy up to gender theory radicals.”
Walters has not, however, posted anything on social media about the death of Nex Benedict. Walters did briefly address the situation at the Feb. 22 Oklahoma State Board of Education meeting. Walters offered thoughts and prayers but did not mention Nex Benedict by name and urged those watching not to jump to conclusions as the investigation was ongoing. Several members of the community provided statements during the meeting directed at Walters, including retired principal Mike Howe who brought a nonbinary flag to the podium.
“These children who attacked Nex had to be taught to hate. How do we do that?” asked Howe. “Could it be having the superintendent of public schools putting out a video that called trans and nonbinary students, quote, a threat to school safety?”
Oklahoma City business owner Sean Cummings also addressed the board and directed ire at Walters and Raichik. Cummins, who had previously spoken out at Raichik’s appointment to the library board said he had received death threats in the aftermath of his comments.
“You emboldened these three girls yourself,” Cummings said, gesturing to Walters. “Chaya Raichik emboldened these three girls by being on the library board.”
The death of Nex Benedict has spurred outcries for justice from organizations like Human Rights Campaign and GLAAD, and garnered national attention. Vice President Kamala Harris posted on X yesterday, “My heart goes out to Nex Benedict’s family, friends, and their entire community. To the LGBTQI+ youth who are hurting and are afraid right now: President Joe Biden and I see you, we stand with you, and you are not alone.”
Violence against LGBTQ+ people, in particular gender nonconforming and trans individuals is nothing new. Over 300 trans people were murdered last year, yet anti-trans rhetoric and legislation are at an all-time high, including that being perpetuated by individuals already mentioned in this article. LGBTQ+ people are being used as targets by far-right extremists in this election year, and nearly 500 anti-trans bills have already been proposed across the country in 2024.
Will the death of Nex Benedict and the resulting outcry be the issue that finally pushes back the tides of hate? That is a lot to put on the shoulders of a 16-year-old who can no longer speak for themself. It’s been 25 years since 21-year-old Matthew Shepard was murdered in Laramie, Wyoming, for being gay. His death created a similar outcry from LGBTQ+ people and allies alike. Much progress has happened for the LGBTQ+ community in those 25 years, history inevitably repeats itself.
We’ll continue to watch the investigation into Nex’s death and report on new findings as they become available.