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Nex Benedict: Difference between revisions
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{{content warning|Violence, hate crimes, death of a nonbinary person, death of a gay man}} | {{content warning|Violence, hate crimes, death of a nonbinary person, death of a gay man}} | ||
'''Nex Benedict''' (January 11, 2008 | '''Nex Benedict''' (January 11, 2008 – February 8, 2024) was an American [[nonbinary]] and [[genderfluid]] adolescent who died at age 16 the day after a group of students fought with him in their school bathroom.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Video shows nonbinary teen Nex Benedict reflecting on fight before their death. |last=Pauly |first=Madison |work=Mother Jones |date=24 February 2024 |access-date=25 February 2024 |url= https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2024/02/nex-benedict-trans-oklahoma-bullying-bathroom-bills-police-body-cam/ |archive-url=https://archive.ph/rn5k2 |archive-date=18 October 2025}}</ref> | ||
==Background and personality== | ==Background and personality== | ||
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On 21 February 2024, Owasso police stated that Nex "did not die as a result of trauma", but this statement has been questioned by some journalists.<ref name="Riedel" /><ref name="PinkNewsBaska" /> Regardless of how accurate that is, Nex's death has brought additional media attention to the problem of bullying and the problem of anti-trans sentiments gaining popularity across America in recent years.<ref name="Riedel" /> | On 21 February 2024, Owasso police stated that Nex "did not die as a result of trauma", but this statement has been questioned by some journalists.<ref name="Riedel" /><ref name="PinkNewsBaska" /> Regardless of how accurate that is, Nex's death has brought additional media attention to the problem of bullying and the problem of anti-trans sentiments gaining popularity across America in recent years.<ref name="Riedel" /> | ||
The Biden administration and other sources put out statements that characterized Nex's death as a suicide due to bullying. | |||
==Media response== | ==Media response== | ||
Representatives from ACLU and Lambda Legal issued a press release on February 20 stating in no uncertain terms that "The assault on Nex is an inevitable result of the hateful rhetoric and discriminatory legislation targeting Oklahoma trans youth."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.aclu.org/press-releases/response-to-death-of-nex-benedict-from-bridge-v-oklahoma-state-board-of-education-legal-team |title=Response to Death of Nex Benedict From Bridge v. Oklahoma State Board of Education Legal Team |date=20 February 2024 |publisher=ACLU.org}}</ref> ACLU and Lambda Legal were and still are fighting a [[transphobia|transphobic]] "bathroom bill" that required Nex to be in the girl's bathroom where the attack took place. | Representatives from ACLU and Lambda Legal issued a press release on February 20 stating in no uncertain terms that "The assault on Nex is an inevitable result of the hateful rhetoric and discriminatory legislation targeting Oklahoma trans youth."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.aclu.org/press-releases/response-to-death-of-nex-benedict-from-bridge-v-oklahoma-state-board-of-education-legal-team |title=Response to Death of Nex Benedict From Bridge v. Oklahoma State Board of Education Legal Team |archive-url=https://archive.ph/i6ieq |archive-date=22 February 2024 |date=20 February 2024 |publisher=ACLU.org}}</ref> ACLU and Lambda Legal were and still are fighting a [[transphobia|transphobic]] "bathroom bill" that required Nex to be in the girl's bathroom where the attack took place. | ||
Kylan Durant, president of Oklahoma Pride Alliance, said that "This happened in a red state where all of these laws and these leaders are saying terrible things about queer people and kids. Can we not draw a line and acknowledge that stuff like this happens because of that?"<ref>https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2024/02/21/oklahoma-teen-lgbtq-nex-benedict-died/</ref> | Kylan Durant, president of Oklahoma Pride Alliance, said that "This happened in a red state where all of these laws and these leaders are saying terrible things about queer people and kids. Can we not draw a line and acknowledge that stuff like this happens because of that?"<ref>{{cite web |archive-url=https://archive.ph/LTR3U |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2024/02/21/oklahoma-teen-lgbtq-nex-benedict-died/ |title=Okla. nonbinary teen died after school fight amid reported bullying |date=21 February 2024 |archive-date=21 February 2024 |last=Hennessy-Fiske|first=Molly |work=The Washington Post}}</ref> | ||
Podcaster Matt Bernstein (he/they) made a post on Instagram drawing parallels between Nex's tragic death and the 1998 murder of Matthew Shepard, a 21-year-old [[cisgender]] gay man who was beaten, tortured, and left to die near Laramie, Wyoming.<ref>https://www.instagram.com/p/C3lhrbIvYyl/ | Podcaster Matt Bernstein (he/they) made a post on Instagram drawing parallels between Nex's tragic death and the 1998 murder of Matthew Shepard, a 21-year-old [[cisgender]] gay man who was beaten, tortured, and left to die near Laramie, Wyoming.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.instagram.com/p/C3lhrbIvYyl/ |title=rest in peace, nex. |archive-url=https://archive.ph/fN5SS |date=20 February 2024 |archive-date=18 October 2025 |author=Bernstein, Matt (@mattxiv)|work=Instagram}}</ref> | ||
==References== | ==References== | ||
{{reflist}} | {{reflist}} | ||