Oklahoma Non-Binary Student Death Controversy / Nex Benedict's Death

Overview

Oklahoma Non-Binary Student Death Controversy refers to the death of 16-year-old non-binary student Nex Benedict in February 2024, which occurred one day after a physical altercation with classmates in the bathroom of Owasso High School, in Oklahoma. The student's death prompted scrutiny of Oklahoma's restrictive policies for LGBTQ+ students, including new laws about bathroom usage. Following their death, the story garnered international media attention, as well as sparking controversy and discourse across social media. On March 13th, 2024, a medical examiner report then ruled Nex's death as a suicide, resulting in another resurgence of coverage and discussions online.

Background

On February 7th, 2024, Nex Benedict, a non-binary 16-year-old student at Owasso High School in Owasso, Oklahoma, died^[1] the day after a fight in the school’s bathroom occurred, according to local law enforcement.^[13] Body camera^[2] footage later released on February 23rd by the Owasso Police Department showed Benedict in a hospital bed describing the altercation with three girls who were picking on them and some friends. The body cam footage (shown below) amassed over 123,000 views and 620 likes in five days.

During the interview with police, while Nex Benedict was in the hospital, they told the officer that they were in the school bathroom with friends when they heard comments being made about their group by three other girls. Nex then said they poured water on one of the girls as another grabbed her by the hair. Nex then pushed a girl away, who hit a paper towel dispenser. After this, Nex said she ended up on the ground and was beaten by the group until she lost consciousness.^[14]

Additionally, her mother Sue Benedict stated that Nex complained about the three girls the week leading up to the altercation and that they wouldn't leave them alone, allegedly calling them names and throwing things at them. Sue also said students had bullied Nex due to their identity a year before the fight.^[15]

According to Nex's family, three older girls beat Benedict and another transgender student in the girls’ bathroom. The fighting left the student bruised with wounds on their face and eyes and scratches on the back of their head. Their mother said Benedict collapsed on their family’s living room floor the following day and when they arrived at the hospital they discovered that Benedict had stopped breathing. Police claimed that Nex Benedict’s death was not a result of injuries from the fight in the bathroom according to preliminary results of the autopsy, and no arrests have been made.^[13]

Developments

Oklahoma Anti-Transgender Bathroom Bill

Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt signed a bill in May 2022 that immediately enacted an anti-trans bathroom policy in the state. Oklahoma Senate Bill 615 requires students at public schools and public charter schools in the state to use restrooms and locker rooms that match the sex listed on their birth certificates, CNN^[3] reported.

According to The New Republic^[4] website, Nex Benedict was the target of "transphobic torment from school bullies that started at the beginning of the 2023 school year, just a handful of months after the state signed into law a transgender bathroom ban."

Libs Of TikTok Controversy

Following the non-binary student's death in February 2024, some netizens noticed that the controversial X gimmick account Libs of TikTok had been targeting the district Nex attended since 2022 when the account posted about a teacher in the Owasso School District for speaking out in support of LGBTQ+ students.^[12] According to Nex's mother, the student admired the teacher, who faced threats and harassment and ultimately resigned.^[5]

The Libs Of TikTok founder, Chaya Raichik, was later questioned about the death of Nex Benedict in an interview with journalist Taylor Lorenz on February 24th, 2024, during which she called the incident "very tragic" and "horrible" before adding that she doesn’t believe in gender-affirming care for non-binary people.^[6]

News Media Coverage

Nex's death was widely covered by the media, especially after the release of body camera footage by the Owasso Police Department.

For example, on February 26th, 2024, The New York Post shared a video on YouTube^[7] about the Oklahoma student's death (shown below, left), which garnered roughly 2,800 views and 46 likes in a day. On the same day, The Hill^[8] also posted the body cam footage, discussing the death of 16-year-old Nex Benedict (shown below, right), which received roughly 34,000 views and 800 likes in a day.

Nex Benedict Cause Of Death

On March 13th, 2024, a medical examiner’s report listed the probable cause of Nex Benedict's death as “combined toxicity” from two drugs.^[16] The Owasso Police Department posted a statement on Facebook ^[17] shortly after the report was revealed, stating that “From the beginning of this investigation, Owasso Police observed many indications that this death was the result of suicide. However, investigators did not wish to confirm that information without the final results being presented by the Oklahoma Medical Examiner’s Office.” The post amassed roughly 311 likes and 101 shares in a few hours.

Online Reactions

The death of the Oklahoma teen became a viral topic on social media as netizens discussed the incident and shared art and messages in support of Nex's family. For example, on February 20th, 2024, X^[9] user @tracyrenee70 posted a drawing made by @devthepineapple of a person holding a sign that says, "Nex Benedict should still be alive." The post (shown below, left) garnered over 6,400 likes and 1,900 retweets in a week.

On February 24th, X^[10] user @GuyOron shared a picture of an altar built to honor Nex Benedict, which read, "Protect trans youth." The post (shown below, right) received more than 1,700 likes and 270 retweets in four days.

After the Owasso Police Department released the body cam footage showing Nex's statement in the hospital, some X / Twitter users started to use clips of it to disseminate rumors that the teen's cause of death did not occur because of the fight in the bathroom.

For instance, on February 25th, 2024, X user @thevivafrei^[11] posted the video of Nex talking to a police officer at the hospital and said, "It sounds like either suicide or drug overdose, both of which are tragic," following up to it by alleging that the media coverage about the incident lied and "exploit tragedy for political profit." The post (shown below) amassed over 1.2 million plays and 16,000 likes in three days.

Search Interest

External References