On February 8th, Nex Benedict, a 16-year-old nonbinary high school student, collapsed at their home in Owasso, Oklahoma, they were taken to a hospital and died that evening. Benedict’s death came following a fight with three pupils the day before at their high school. The exact cause of the attack was unclear but body cam footage released by the Owasso Police Department after the fight showed Benedict saying that the three girls had been bullying Benedict for their appearance for weeks before the incident. While the initial report says Benedict’s death was not the result of any trauma, further autopsy and toxicology reports have yet to be released.
The attack on Benedict and the potentially anti-queer nature of it has captured the nation’s attention. Many activists are calling for a police or potentially federal investigation into the possibility of a hate crime. The uptick in anti-LGBTQ+ violence and rhetoric in the United States in the 2020s has been a horrifying trend, from the Club Q shooting in 2022 to the anti-LGBTQ and neo-Nazi gang Blood Tribe marching in Nashville just last week. In Oklahoma, anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric is on the rise after Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Institution Ryan Waters appointed an anti-LGBTQ influencer to a position within the public education system. Even after Benedict’s death, one State Senator referred to the LGBTQ+ community as “filth” during a panel on the incident.
Memorials for Benedict have come in after their death. Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr said “The more we learn about Nex’s life, the more we come to know a wonderful child whose experience and identity mattered and was worth celebrating. Above all, Nex deserved to live a full life.” (While Benedict was not a member of the Cherokee Nation, they lived on the reservation and had Choctaw ancestry). Vice President Kamala Harris sent condolences to Benedict’s family. Congressman Ritchie Torres of New York (Dem) called for a federal investigation into their death. Oklahoma State Rep Mauree Turner (Dem), the first nonbinary state representative for the state said trans and non-binary Oklahomans deserve “…More unquestioned community advocacy. More tenderness and care. More life. So much more life.” Multiple groups such as the Human Rights Campaign, GLAAD, and the ACLU have paid tribute to Benedict and called for justice as well as an end to the vitriol from anti-LGBTQ figures against the community. Vigils were organized across the nation to pay tribute to a young life cut way too short.
At the time of publication, no further advancements have been made in the investigation in Nex Benedict’s death.
