It’s still justice for Nex Benedict

Earlier today, the Oklahoma State Medical Examiner’s Office released a summary autopsy report for Nex Benedict that lists Diphenhydramine and Fluoxetine toxicity as the probable cause of death, labeling the death as suicide. Unfortunately, the summary report offers almost no additional information, and does nothing to change the fundamental injustice of the situation: Nex Benedict was a 16 year-old Indigenous student at an Oklahoma school who was relentlessly bullied for his transness for over a year, and who died the day after being physically beaten in a school bathroom. Nex is a 16 year-old, who should still be alive. But isn’t.

“2SLGBTQ+ people have always been, and will always be in Oklahoma. We deserve the safety to learn, to thrive here. We deserve decision makers at every level of governance who are doing everything within their power to ensure our youngest and most vulnerable residents are safe. Instead, Nex’s death further proves that–far from being a threat to anyone–Two Spirit, transgender, and gender nonconforming+ (2STGNC+) students are the ones who are threatened; they are under attack in Oklahoma schools, and they are under a coordinated attack by extremist politicians who care more about their political aspirations and media appearances than about the impact of their policies and rhetoric on 2SLGBTQ+ lives.” […]