On Feb. 7, Nex Benedict was involved in a fight at Owasso Public High School in Oklahoma. The 16-year-old, who identified as nonbinary, was rushed to a hospital a day later and died.
Relatives of the 10th-grader, who used they/them pronouns, said Benedict had been bullied over their gender identity, per the Washington Post. Amid outrage involving the death of the Oklahoma teen, police claimed that an autopsy “indicated that the decedent did not die as a result of trauma.”
According to the Owasso Police Department, following the fight, a registered nurse examined each student involved and determined that an ambulance was not required. However, the school nurse recommended that Benedict visit a medical facility for further assessment.
The next day, Owasso Fire Department medics were dispatched to a medical emergency involving Benedict, who was transported to the St. Francis Pediatric Emergency Room where they died.
Oklahoma’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner did not immediately respond to Rolling Stone‘s request for comment.
A rep for Owasso School District said in a statement that it is fully cooperating with the Owasso Police Department and that it’s limiting its statements due to the ongoing investigation.
“However, the speculation and misinformation surrounding the case has intensified in recent days,” the statement said. The district confirmed that there was a physical altercation on Feb. 7 in a school restroom and that those involved in the altercation were examined by the nurse, and that an ambulance was not required. “Physical altercations between students are unacceptable. Any student/s engaging in such action, jeopardizing the safety of others, will receive disciplinary consequences. These consequences can include out of school suspension for first offense,” the statement continued. “Due to federal privacy laws, we are unable to disclose the exact nature of disciplinary action taken against any student. That information can only be given to the parents/guardians of the student being disciplined. Any notion that the district has ignored disciplinary action toward those involved is simply untrue.”
The district added: “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.”
Both lawmakers and activists have blamed Benedict’s death and poor treatment on Oklahoma’s antagonistic policies surrounding transgender students. “We want to be clear, 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,” LGBTQ+ advocacy group Freedom Oklahoma said in a statement. “This harm is absolutely related to the rhetoric and policies that are commonplace at the Oklahoma Legislature, the State Department of Education, and the Governor’s office, with regard to dehumanizing 2STGNC+ people.”
Superintendent Ryan Walters, a major contributor to Oklahoma’s school policies, has been criticized for policies advocates say target and endanger trans and gender nonconforming students. He was also responsible for appointing Libs of TikTok’s Chaya Raichik to a volunteer board even though she doesn’t live in the state.
In April 2022, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt signed a bill that explicitly prohibits nonbinary gender identification on a state birth certificate — making Oklahoma the first to sign nonbinary prohibition into law. Stitt was also among 11 Republican state leaders to have adopted laws that prohibit transgender girls from playing on female school sports teams.
“Our hearts go out to Nex’s family, classmates, and the Owasso community,” Stitt, a critic of LGBTQ+ rights, said in a statement on Tuesday. “The death of any child in an Oklahoma school is a tragedy — and bullies must be held accountable.”
A GoFundMe has been posted to help the family with funeral costs and has raised more than $82,000 at press time. In an update posted on on Tuesday, their mother Sue Benedict wrote: “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.”