(NewsNation) — A 16-year-old Oklahoma student died the day after a fight at school that the teen’s family said came following harassment and bullying over their gender identity.
The Owasso Police Department said on Facebook that they were called to a local hospital on the afternoon of Feb. 7 for a report of a student involved in a “physical altercation” at Owasso High School. On Feb. 8, police were told the teen, Nex Benedict, who used they/them pronouns, was taken back to the hospital, where they were pronounced dead.
Speaking to the Independent, Nex Benedict’s mother, Sue, said they started being bullied only a few months after GOP Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt signed a bill requiring public school students to use bathrooms matching the sex listed on their birth certificates.
While Sue Benedict told Nex Benedict to “be strong and look the other way,” she told the publication that she “didn’t know how bad” the torment had gotten.
When she was called to the school the day before Nex died, Sue Benedict saw that they had been badly beaten with bruises over their face and eyes as well as scratches to the back of their head.
Nex Benedict, the Independent wrote, told Sue that they and another transgender student had been in a fight with three older girls in the girls bathroom. During this encounter, Sue Benedict said, Nex was knocked to the ground and hit their head on the floor.
Before being discharged, Nex and Sue Benedict spoke to a school resource officer. That night, Nex Benedict went to bed with a sore head and fell asleep. The next day, Nex Benedict was getting ready to go to an appointment when they collapsed in the family living room.
EMT officers came to the residence to find Nex Benedict had stopped breathing. They were declared dead that evening in the hospital, the Independent reported.
Sue Benedict said she was furious the school had not called an ambulance or the police. The school, Sue Benedict said, also informed her Nex was suspended for two weeks.
Police said on social media the students were given a health assessment by a nurse at the school, and it was determined that “ambulance service was not required.” The nurse did recommend Nex Benedict visit a medical facility, though.
In a statement posted Wednesday, Owasso police said preliminary information from the medical examiner’s office said an autopsy indicated Nex Benedict did not die as a result of trauma and that toxicology results are pending.
Members of the Owasso community, as well as LGBTQ+ advocates, expressed grief at Nex Benedict’s passing as well as outrage for the bullying and transphobia that they say led to their death.
Criticism of anti-trans laws
Oklahoma’s Republican-led legislature has passed several laws targeting transgender and nonbinary people in recent years.
Examples include bills prohibiting children from receiving gender-affirming medical care and forbidding the use of nonbinary gender markers on birth certificates.
Organizations such as the ACLU Oklahoma chapter said this kind of “hateful rhetoric and discriminatory legislation” contributed to Nex Benedict’s death.
“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 ACLU said. “We are deeply troubled by reports the school failed to respond appropriately to the altercation that preceded Nex’s death and demand a thorough, open investigation into the matter.“
The national and state ACLU chapter, Lambda Legal and pro bono co-counsel filed a federal lawsuit challenging the bathroom law.
Stitt on Wednesday issued a statement saying he and his wife, Sarah, were “saddened to learn of the death of Nex Benedict.”
“Our hearts go out to Nex’s family, classmates, and the Owasso community,” Stitt wrote. “The death of any child in an Oklahoma school is a tragedy — and bullies must be held accountable.”
However, on social media, users criticized the governor, with one saying, “You and your policies are responsible for the death of Nex Benedict.”
“Nex Benedict deserved to grow up, however transphobic policies attacking trans youth have cost the life of a child,” another person commented on Stitt’s Facebook page. “So much for protecting children.”
Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Schools Ryan Walters has also faced criticism for supporting anti-trans policies, especially after appointing a right-wing social media influencer known for posting transphobic content to a state library panel.
Walters said in his own statement he mourns the loss of the Owasso student and that he would “pray for God’s comfort for the family and the entire Owasso community.”
U.S. Department of Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said on X that as an educator and father, he is “devastated.”
“Violence has no place in school,” Cardona wrote. “It is our responsibility to protect all students by creating spaces where they feel safe to be their true selves.”
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre wrote on X that “every young person deserves to feel safe and supported at school.”
“For many LGBTQI+ students across the country, this may feel personal and deeply painful. There is always someone you can talk to if you’re going through a hard time,” she said. “Dial 988 and press 3 to reach a counselor dedicated to serving LGBTQI+ young people.”
Remembering Nex Benedict
Sue Benedict and her husband, Walter, told the Independent that Nex Benedict was a straight-A student. They were “devoted” to their cat, Zeus, and liked to draw, read and play video games.
“Nex did not see themselves as male or female,” Sue Benedict said. “Nex saw themselves right down the middle.”
This was something the teen’s parents were still learning about, though Nex Benedict was always understanding if Sue or Walter Benedict used an incorrect pronoun.
“I was so proud of Nex. They were going someplace, they were so free,” Sue Benedict said.
In a message to the Associated Press, Malia Pila, Nex Benedict’s sister, described them as a “wonderful child that impacted all of us in ways that are difficult to truly articulate in their importance.”
“We’re deeply, deeply sad about their passing,” Malia Pila wrote in a text message Wednesday to The Associated Press.