Nex Benedict’s former classmates staged a walkout earlier this week to voice support for queer children and protest bullying.
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Nonbinary sophomore Nex Benedict passed away February 8 following a fight in their school bathroom, where a classmate slammed Benedict’s head on the floor. The cause of Benedict’s death has not been determined, and it is unclear whether their injuries from the school fight caused their death, but an Owasso police representative has said that murder charges are not “off the cards.”
During Monday’s walkout, over a dozen of Benedict’s Owasso classmates displayed signs that read “Protect Queer Kids” and “You Are Loved.”
Cassidy Brown, an Owasso graduate who organized the walk out, told KTUL,“There is a community here in this city that does exist, and we see them, and they are loved.”
Protesters also gathered at The Stonewall Inn in New York City to honor Nex Benedict and protest bullying. Almost 500 mourners showed up and held signs that delivered messages such as “Protect Trans Kids” and “Trans Youth Matter.”
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“There is an infrastructure of anti-trans hate all around us. It has to stop,” actor Sara Ramirez said in a speech at the Stonewall vigil.
“It is our moral and humanitarian obligation to speak up, show up and take action against the anti-trans machine. To all of our trans, non-binary and queer youth, I want to say: I love you.”
There are currently 467 bills in 41 states that target transgender Americans by the way of limiting their basic rights including healthcare, bathroom access, and legal recognition. In the last year, Oklahoma criminalized providing gender-affirming medical care to minors, blocked transgender students from participating in sports, and blocked non-binary gender markers from birth certificates. Oklahoma also passed legislation which the governor signed into law that defines gender in the state as sex assigned at birth.
RIP Nex Benedict.
