What we know about Nex Benedict, the non-binary teen who died after altercation in school bathroom
CBC
Warning: This story contains discussion of suicide and details of physical violence against 2SLGBTQ+ and gender diverse people.
The death of non-binary Oklahoma teen Nex Benedict has become symbolic of the fears expressed by 2SLGBTQ+ people in the U.S. — that hateful rhetoric and restrictive legislation targeting transgender and gender non-conforming people will have tragic consequences.
Nex, who was 16 and of Indigenous heritage, said they had been bullied by other students.
Nex died on Feb. 8, one day after a physical altercation in a high school bathroom. Oklahoma mandates that public school students must use the bathroom that matches the sex on their birth certificates.
The state's Medical Examiner's Office is due to release its full autopsy report Wednesday, but a previously-released summary indicated Nex died by suicide and not as a result of injuries sustained in the altercation.
There are many lingering questions and criticisms about that assessment, the investigation into Nex's death and the events surrounding it.
Here's what we know and what we don't know about the life and death of Nex Benedict — and the situation for 2SLGBTQ+ and gender non-conforming people in Oklahoma.
Benedict was a Grade 10 student at Owasso High School, in the Tulsa suburb of Owasso.
Sue Benedict, Nex's biological grandmother and adoptive mother, told The Independent last month that she was called to the school on Feb. 7 after Nex was involved in an altercation. She recounted seeing bruises on Nex's face and eyes and scratches on the back of their head.
She said she was aware Nex had been the victim of bullying but "didn't know how bad it had gotten."
She told The Independent she was angry the school hadn't called police or an ambulance and later took Nex to a local medical facility and contacted police herself.
At the hospital, Nex and Sue Benedict spoke with Owasso Police Department school resource officer Caleb Thompson, who was wearing a body camera at the time.
Nex told Thompson they overheard three girls making fun of them and their friend while they were all in the bathroom.
Nex admitted throwing water from a plastic bottle before a fight broke out.
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