The Loss of Nex Benedict and its Impact on the Trans Community
By Devon Pizano
On Feb. 28, Chaffey held a vigil for Nex Benedict, a nonbinary 16-year-old using he and they pronouns who passed away recently after being assaulted in a school bathroom in Oklahoma.
Benedict was an Indigenous teen of the Choctaw Nation and attended Owasso High School, Owasso. As a sophomore, Benedict enjoyed a variety of activities, including playing Minecraft and creating art. On Feb 7, he was severely attacked in the girls’ restroom by 3 older girls, then was promptly released into his grandmother’s care. He was then suspended from school and passed away the next day.
It was recently announced that the prosecutors in Oklahoma are not filing charges related to the death of Benedict. Oklahoma is one of the ten current states that have anti-transgender bathroom bills. This means that people who identify as transgender, GNC or non-binary are only allowed to use facilities such as bathrooms and locker rooms that align with their sex assigned at birth, not their gender identity.
This poses a problem for trans people, forcing individuals to use facilities that do not coincide with their gender identity, potentially leading to feelings of anxiety or physical violence, like in Benedict’s case. Anti-LGBT legislation is at an all-time high across the country with states like Florida, Oklahoma and Texas being among the most restrictive to date.
Laws such as bathroom bills continue to cause nothing but harm to the community. They paint a picture that trans people pose a danger to the rest of society simply by using the facilities that align with their gender identity. When the true danger comes from individuals who think trans people are trying to corrupt society with a so-called agenda. This leads to hatred and violence toward a community of people who are just trying to be who they really are. Anti-trans violence has become an epidemic in this country and this needs to end.
On Feb. 28, Chaffey honored Benedict by holding a vigil and gave students the opportunity to speak on how this event has impacted them. I took the opportunity to share my life experience coming out as a transgender man at school. I shared my fear of being misgendered and deadnamed in the classroom and ultimately my fear of being targeted trying to use the restroom that aligned with my gender identity when I first came out. I was surprised when professors and administrators embraced my new name and pronouns without issue.
It made me feel like I had a community that supported me which helped me feel safe about coming to school. My goal in life is to help foster a safe community for other LGBT+ people. Unfortunately, Benedict did not have that support in his state, as Oklahoma is very much against the LGBT+ community as seen by its various anti-LGBT+ legislation.
We as a society need to do better about lifting up people in our communities especially those in minority groups so we never have to go through something like this again. Ultimately, what do we gain from losing so many people to violence like this? We are telling people it is not safe to be your authentic self and breeding fear and shame.
Any person wants to feel safe and supported in who they are. Well, I am not okay with losing one more LGBT+ person and we as a society need to band together and demand change. These hate-filled laws cropping up across the country are sending the message that if someone exists outside of a very narrow box of what these lawmakers consider to be acceptable then you are wrong and need to change who you are to conform.
By being silent we are saying that what has happened is acceptable and allowing it to continue. I am certainly not going to be silent about what happened to Benedict and the treatment that LGBT+ people are facing all across the country. We just want to live our lives without fear.
Is it too much to ask for safety and the opportunity to have the chance to fulfill our goals in life? We are simply trying to exist the same as everyone else, give us a chance.