Nex Benedict: The 'Trans' Hate Crime That Wasn't
Nex Benedict: The 'Trans' Hate Crime That Wasn't
The unfortunate death of 16-year-old Nex Benedict has been politicized to incite nationwide outrage regarding trans identities.
Nex Benedict was a 16-year-old student who tragically lost their life on February 8, after a fight that occurred in the bathroom at their Oklahoma high school the day before. Their death quickly became politicized as the mainstream media pegged their death as an anti-LGBTQ+ hate crime and a violent beating that was a result of bullying for their gender identity.
However, as more information is revealed, the true cause of Nex’s unfortunate death is in question. It is unclear whether Nex identified as non-binary, let alone was attacked for that reason.
Here’s what we know so far in the investigation of the death of Nex Benedict.
Bathroom Altercation at Owasso High School
Benedict and three other students were involved in a fight that occurred on February 7 in an Owasso High School bathroom. According to Owasso Public Schools and the Owasso Police Department, the fight was broken up in less than two minutes by other students in the restroom and a staff member supervising outside.
All students involved in the altercation walked to the assistant principal’s and nurse’s office. A registered nurse gave the students a health assessment and it was determined that no one involved needed ambulance assistance.
Although ambulance assistance was not required, the school nurse recommended that Nex be seen at a medical facility for further examination.
At the hospital, Benedict and their mother, Sue Benedict met with a school resource officer who questioned Benedict about the bathroom altercation.
The following day, Ms. Benedict called medical emergency services for Nex who collapsed at their home and experienced shallow breathing. An ambulance brought Nex to St. Francis Pediatric Emergency Room where they later died.
At this time, Benedict’s cause of death is unclear, though the medical examiner indicates that they, "did not die as a result of trauma."
Hospital Interview
Bodycam footage shows Benedict being interviewed at the hospital regarding the altercation by a school resource officer.
Benedict clarifies that they did not know the other students before the attack beyond a “vape situation” that landed all students in in-school suspension.
“We don’t know each other…before this ISP thing, we never saw each other…I don’t know their names,” Benedict said.
The officer asks if the other students teased them before the altercation.
“Yeah, because of the way that we dress.”
The officer asks if she has done anything that would have provoked the other students at any point in time.
“I don’t know these girls.”
According to Benedict, all parties were in the bathroom; Benedict, their friends, and the three other students involved in the fight. The other students began making fun of how Benedict and their friends were laughing. Benedict retaliated by approaching the students and pouring water on them.
“I was talking to my friends, they were talking with their friends and we were laughing and they had said something like, ‘Why do they laugh like that’ and talking about us in front of us,” Benedict said. “So I went up there and poured water on them, and then all three of them came at me.”
After Benedict poured the water on the students, they began fighting.
“They came at me, they grabbed on my hair. I grabbed on them. I threw one of them into a paper towel dispenser, and then they got my legs out from under me and got me on the ground, and started beating the shit out of me. And then my friends tried to jump in and help but, I’m not sure, I blacked out,” Benedict said.
The officer advised Ms. Benedict that if she wanted to pursue criminal charges against the other students, Nex would be seen as the aggressor, as they initiated the violence.
“The assault will be on her as well because she first assaulted. She was the one who initiated it essentially,” the officer said. “We got freedom of speech, you can do this all day long (hand motion to imitate talking), the moment she threw that water, you’ve now assaulted somebody, you’ve made the first jab. It doesn’t make it right, but they defended themselves. It’s not going to be in the best of light for you.”
Was Nex Benedict Non-Binary?
Family and friends say Benedict was nonbinary and used they/them pronouns.
“Nex did not see themselves as male or female,” Ms. Benedict told The Independent. “Nex saw themselves right down the middle. I was still learning about it. Nex was teaching me that.”
However, in the bodycam footage, Nex was referred to as Dagny, her birth name, by her mother. Her mother and the officer both used she/her pronouns with no pushback from Benedict. Benedict did not consistently go by her chosen name or pronouns, they/them.
A GoFundMe created on behalf of the Benedict family uses Benedict’s birth name.
It is unclear to the public whether Benedict identified as non-binary consistently.
Oklahoma Laws Concerning Trans Identities
Many mainstream news outlets and advocate groups are blaming the death of Nex Benedict on the forty laws that have either been introduced or passed in Oklahoma legislation that center on LGBTQ+ issues.
The Independent made a direct correlation to the passage of SB 615, a law requiring students to use bathrooms and changing areas that align with their biological sex, to the death of Nex Benedict with the headline, “Oklahoma banned trans students from bathrooms. Now Nex Benedict is dead after a fight at school.”
On February 26, the Human Rights Campaign published a press release stating:
“On February 8, Nex Benedict, a non-binary teenager, died after being brutally assaulted inside a bathroom at Owasso High School in Oklahoma, where they were a student. The hatred that led to this attack is the direct result of anti-equality politicians, like Oklahoma State Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters and members of the Oklahoma legislature, who spread anti-transgender vitriol, including in support of discriminatory legislation – simply to rile up and gain influence with their extremist base. Oklahoma, where Nex lived, has passed a number of anti-transgender laws in the past several years, including a ban on health care for transgender youth and a bill that prevents transgender youth from accessing restroom facilities consistent with their gender identity.”
Libs of TikTok
Chaya Raichik is a former Brooklyn real estate agent who created the Libs of TikTok account on Twitter, now known as X. The account reposts TikToks made by users sharing liberal ideology on the LGBTQ+ community with conservative commentary. The account has been characterized as anti-LGBTQ+ and far-right.
Along with the Oklahoma legislature, Raichik was blamed for the death of Nex Benedict.
GLSEN, an LGBTQ+ human rights organization, released a statement on Instagram:
“Nex’s life was taken due to anti-trans hatred peddled by Chaya Rachik (Libs of TikTok), bigoted school leaders, and extremist state legislators.”
Users on X also implicated Raichek in the death of Benedict.
Raichik rebuffed these accusations on her X account.
In April 2022, the Libs of TikTok Twitter account posted a TikTok video posted by Owasso teacher Tyler Wrynn in which Wrynn declared, “If your parents don’t accept you for who you are, f--k them. I’m your parents now.”
Wrynn resigned shortly after the TikTok was posted.
According to Sue Benedict, Nex was upset that the teacher was no longer teaching at the district.
In January 2024, Raichik was appointed to the Oklahoma Education Department's Library Media Review Committee despite not being an Oklahoma resident with no children in the Oklahoma school system. Raichek has no prior experience in education.
In an interview with KOCO, State Superintendent Ryan Walters explained his decision to appoint Raichek. "What we wanted to do was bring in someone who has been a national leader in exposing what’s going on in our schools. She has really shone a spotlight nationally and frankly with a lot of our Oklahoma teachers, as well.”
The Politicization Of a Nex Benedict’s Death
Activist groups and mainstream news outlets have pegged the unfortunate death of Nex Benedict as a violent, anti-LGBTQ+ hate crime due to Benedict’s gender identity, despite there being no evidence that is what occurred.
Several news organizations like The Hill, The New York Times, and The New Republic, excluded the fact that Benedict initiated the fight in their reporting.
Benedict's cause of death has yet to be released, yet activist groups and news outlets have reported that Benedict was beaten to death.
The death of 16-year-old Nex Benedict has been wrongfully politicized and exploited to push an agenda for personal and political gain. These news outlets and activist groups are excluding details of the altercation and making definitive statements about the fight being related to gender identity despite there being little to no evidence to back those claims up.
What Comes Next In The Case?
A statement by the Benedict family, released through their attorney reads:
On February 7th, 2024, the Benedict Family sent their child, Nex Benedict, to Owasso High School, trusting, like any parent or family member should be able to, that it was a safe environment for their loved one. Millions of parents across America make the same decision each and every morning. While at Owasso High School, Nex was attacked and assaulted in a bathroom by a group of other students.
A day later, the Benedict's beautiful child lost their life.
Many of the questions posed by friends, family, media and other concerned citizens are also top of mind for those left to honor Nex's memory. While various investigations are still pending, the facts currently known by the family, some of which have been released to the public, are troubling at best. We urge those tasked with investigating and prosecuting all potentially liable parties to do so fully, fairly and expediently.
Notwithstanding, the family is independently interviewing witnesses and collecting all available evidence. The Benedict Family calls on all school, local, state and national officials to join forces to determine why this happened, to hold those responsible to account and to ensure it never happens again.
Owasso Public Schools released an update on February 20, stating:
Owasso Public Schools has cooperated fully with the investigation by the Owasso Police Department surrounding the death of a high school student on February 8, 2024. The district has limited its statements on the matter to this point due to the ongoing investigation in an effort to not disrupt police, and out of respect and for the confidentiality for all involved.
The death of Nex Benedict is under active investigation according to Owasso Police.