Oklahoma high school student’s death reignites talk of LGBTQ+ safety

The death of a 16-year-old high school student in Oklahoma has sparked both international outrage and further discussion of school safety for LGBTQ+ individuals.

Nex Benedict, a sophomore at Owasso High School in Owasso, Oklahoma, died on Feb. 8, 2024, following a physical altercation in a school restroom the previous day.

Benedict, who identified as transgender and used he/him pronouns, reportedly experienced bullying at school for over a year due to his gender identity. Other sources indicate Benedict was non-binary and used they/them pronouns.

Benedict was taken to a hospital following the incident, where he stated in an interview with police that the three other girls involved in the altercation had previously mocked him and his friends for how they dressed.

Although Benedict allegedly hit his head on the floor during the altercation, he was discharged from the hospital the same day.

However, the following morning, Benedict collapsed and stopped breathing. He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead later that day.

Benedict’s death received significant media attention, with many individuals and organizations believing that Benedict’s gender identity had been a major factor in the bullying he had endured before the altercation on Feb. 7.

Chuck Hoskins Jr., principal chief of the Cherokee Nation, referred to Benedict as “a wonderful child whose experience and identity mattered and was worth celebrating.”

LGBTQ+ advocacy groups Freedom Oklahoma and the Human Rights Campaign described the altercation that preceded Benedict’s death as “a possible hate-motivated attack” and “sex-based harassment,” respectively. The latter organization also sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Education requesting an investigation into the incident.

In a joint statement, the American Civil Liberties Union described the assault on Benedict as “an inevitable result of the hateful rhetoric and discriminatory legislation targeting Oklahoma trans youth” and challenged a law that requires students in Oklahoma to use restrooms that correspond with their biological sex.

Republican Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, who signed the bill into law in May 2022, also responded to Benedict’s death, stating that “the death of any child in Oklahoma is a tragedy and bullies must be held accountable.” Stitt also encouraged law enforcement and schools in Owasso to be “forthcoming and transparent” during the investigation.

Democratic Oklahoma Rep. Mauree Turner, who became the first publicly non-binary U.S. state lawmaker in 2021, alleged that Benedict’s death was “the direct result of a failed administration in a public school that didn’t value the life of a trans student.”

Republican Oklahoma Sen. Tom Woods expressed sympathy for the family of Benedict but drew significant controversy by appearing to refer to the LGBTQ+ community as “filth.”

Chaya Raichik, a former real estate agent and prominent right-wing social media influencer, has been accused by many of being complicit in Benedict’s death. In 2022, a teacher at Benedict’s high school, whom Benedict reportedly greatly admired, resigned after they were profiled on Raichik’s Libs of TikTok account.

In response to these accusations, Raichik claimed on X that she had heard “insane insider details” on Benedict’s case and that people close to Benedict, whom Raichik misgendered, had “not been honest with the police about what happened.”

Students at Benedict’s high school, as well as the University of Oklahoma, have staged walkouts to protest what they believe have been ineffective policies against bullying, particularly bullying that targets LGBTQ+ individuals.

Elmhurst University’s Vice President of Equity and Inclusion, Bruce King, acknowledges that there are still many unanswered questions about Benedict’s case but believes the outcome would have been much different had the physical altercation involving Benedict been avoided.

Regarding Raichik’s social media behavior, King states that he is “always disappointed” but not surprised and that it is difficult to take seriously anyone “whose main objective is to create controversy” and accumulate followers “to feed their entrepreneurial interests.”

Although King considers EU a small campus, he believes EU accommodates the needs of all its students without assuming what those needs are, such as by providing numerous all-gender restrooms across campus.

 King further notes that transgender people of color are killed at a “disastrously higher rate” than other demographics, and, pointing to an incident in which a transgender woman of color was attacked during Black Lives Matter demonstrations in Minnesota, believes we should all be aware that what happened to Benedict “can happen to anyone, anywhere, at any time.”

The investigation into Benedict’s death is ongoing, and a cause of death has yet to be established. Owasso police initially ruled out trauma as a cause of death, though this was later retracted.

It is currently unknown what charges, if any, the other students involved in the altercation that preceded Benedict’s death could face.