Students protest bullying of nonbinary teen Nex Benedict

Dozens of students and teachers walked out of class Monday at the Oklahoma high school where nonbinary teen Nex Benedict was allegedly beaten up in a bathroom, and died the following day.

Benedict, 16, died on Feb. 8, just a day after getting into a fight with three girls inside a bathroom at Owasso High School, where they were targeted by bullies over their gender identity, their family said.

Students and other advocates from the community gathered Monday at an intersection outside the school holding rainbow and transgender pride flags as well as signs reading “Protect Queen Kids,” “Stop the bullying! Keep our kids safe” and “Nex. They/Them.”

Organizer Cassidy Brown hoped the event would call out what she said was the school’s lack of response to bullying, especially when it comes to LGBTQ+ students.

“I think I would like to see some more advocacy for the LGBTQ community here for the kids in the school because we have nothing that advocates the kids there, [like] a safe person inside the school that they might feel comfortable talking to about their issues,” Brown told KOCO.

Benedict’s friend Allasyn Speed told News On 6 that they were someone who would “light up a room no matter what mood they were in.”

“It’s been tough,” Robin Ingersoll, another pal, told the outlet. “Really tough to lose someone that I care about. And to see all of this hate that manifested into something powerful. I mean, it’s become such a big thing.”

Worried parents also attended the demonstration, with several of them telling the outlet they feel students shouldn’t have to worry about how others might react to the way they express themselves.

“I don’t want people to be bullied,” Owasso parent Farah Shahreza said. “I want them to feel safe when they go to school. I don’t want them to worry about what kind of clothes they were or what their hair looks like or any of that, you know what I mean?”

Dozens of students participated in the walkout, but most did not cut class to support Benedict The school district said that attendance on Monday plummeted to 51%, compared to 94% on an average day.

In a statement, the school district said that while it “does not condone any disruptions during the school day” it recognizes “students’ constitutional rights to assemble peacefully, participate in student-led civic engagement, and express themselves in a respectful and appropriate manner.”

Vigils and memorials for the teen have sprung up across both Oklahoma and the US.

The state medical examiner’s office has not released the cause or manner of Benedict’s death, but police have said preliminary results show it was not caused by injuries sustained in the fight.

Benedict’s family has launched an independent investigation into the teen’s death.