The thread "16-Year-Old Oklahoma teenager beaten to death in a bathroom" was started before the police statement. If the thread title turns out to be the misinformation, was it really preferable to say nothing at all?
16-year-old Oklahoma teenager beaten to death in a bathroom.
- Thread starter Cicada 5
- Start date
Fucking scum filth.
www.friendlyatheist.com
After non-binary teen's death, lawmaker says Christians don't "want that filth" in Oklahoma
State Sen. Tom Woods said he'd fight "to keep that filth out of the state of Oklahoma because we are a Christian state"
www.friendlyatheist.com
" let people be able to live and work and go to the faith they choose "Fucking scum filth.
After non-binary teen's death, lawmaker says Christians don't "want that filth" in Oklahoma
State Sen. Tom Woods said he'd fight "to keep that filth out of the state of Oklahoma because we are a Christian state"
The panel was asked multiple questions at once, and then a follow-up. The actual question was not about the teenager who died, the question to be answered was " “Is there a reason why you won’t answer about the 50 bills targeting the LGBTQ community in the state of Oklahoma? If you are ashamed of those bills, they shouldn’t be there.”Fucking scum filth.
After non-binary teen's death, lawmaker says Christians don't "want that filth" in Oklahoma
State Sen. Tom Woods said he'd fight "to keep that filth out of the state of Oklahoma because we are a Christian state"
Senator calls LGBTQ+ people 'filth,' says most don't want them here
A state senator said during a public forum in Tahlequah that LGBTQ+ people are “filth,” and that he and his constituents don’t want them in “our state.”
Mapping Attacks on LGBTQ Rights in U.S. State Legislatures in 2024
In the last few years states have advanced a record number of bills that attack LGBTQ rights, especially transgender youth. The ACLU is tracking these attacks and working with our national network of affiliates to support LGBTQ people everywhere.
www.aclu.org
If the source you are reading gives you the answer to a question without telling you what the question was, go find the question before spreading the information.
There's a major difference between an official police statement and what some member of the public writes on an internet forum.
I think the authorities (not just the police) have a duty to be careful in the information that they release. I understand they may be under considerable pressure to say something - anything - to provide the public with assurances and guidance, but I have concerns about how this is may go very wrong when they release unreliable information in what may be misguided attempts to direct the narrative. Particualrly given that we know the police are perfectly good at saying things like "calm down and wait for the full results" when they want to.
I will admit here coming from a position of modest trust in the police. I think that they have an unfortunate history of being keen to get their message out there when there can be an uncomfortable distance between their message and the truth. Even worse, that gap sometimes represents the insertion of all manner of unhealthy things - protection of the police themselves, personal police or political interference, or social / community prejudices.
To be fair, that's very nearly what they said. One or two words chosen more carefully, this would have been the exact message. They did say the investigation was ongoing and full information would be available at a later date.
Nex Benedict, nonbinary teen who died day after school fight, describes altercation in police footage
Newly released footage shows Nex Benedict, a nonbinary teen who died one day after a physical altercation at their high school, describing what led up to the fight.
abcnews.go.com
Family Investigating Nonbinary Teen's Death After Beating
Oklahoma police claim that 16-year-old Nex Benedict's death was not a result of trauma sustained in the attack.
Teen girls, probably white. I'd be genuinely surprised if they get a serious sentence, presuming they get prosecuted and convicted. If they're pretty white teen girls, I'll be surprised if they get worse than some probation and maybe a suspended sentence.
I know a girl (extended family) who at 19 got picked up on a drug charge in another state, released on her own recognizance until her hearing, left the state and came home, skipped out on her hearing, got picked up on a traffic charge and arrested for her outstanding warrant, got extradited back to the other state who then released her on her own recognizance until her hearing despite having outright proven that she was a flight risk. Pretty young white girls are basically immune to consequences in the criminal justice system.
Media avoids naming minors, which makes coverage harder to draw attention with. They get less coverage in general as a result. We had 2 14 year old boys picked up the other day near me for a non-fatal shooting, an armed robbery and an armed robbery turned homicide that happened over the course of a week. It got a couple of paragraphs on a local news site and essentially the article being read on the news one night, and that's probably all we'll hear until they're convicted.
That is a fantastic long-range psychic autopsy there. Of course she suffered some trauma, she was in a fight. That doesn't answer the question of whether or not trauma from the fight was itself the cause of death. It probably makes more sense to wait for the actual autopsy by someone qualified with access to the body.
Agreed, but you're not going to get a better version of Nex's perspective on what happened to them than their own statement coming out of their own mouth.
Looks like a case of people jumping to conclusions. No reason at all to be national news whatsoever.
Oklahoma education superintendent under fire for anti-LGBTQ rhetoric after Nex Benedict's death
Oklahoma State Superintendent Ryan Walters is standing by policies affecting the transgender community in schools following the death of 16-year-old Nex Benedict.
www.google.com
Education Department launching an investigation into death of Nex Benedict
The Department of Education said Friday that it is opening an investigation into the death of Nex Benedict, a 16-year-old Oklahoma high school student who died one day after getting into a fight in…
www.google.com
More investigations.
www.koco.com
amp.theguardian.com
Federal Investigation launched into Owasso Public Schools following Nex Benedict's death
The U.S. Department of Education has launched a federal investigation into Owasso Public Schools following the death of Nex Benedict.
www.koco.com
Federal investigation announced into bullying claims in death of Nex Benedict | Oklahoma | The Guardian
The education department said it will launch an inquiry after the non-binary teen died after a fight at an Oklahoma public school
amp.theguardian.com
The world Nex Benedict deserved isn't hard to create. It just takes love and respect.
It's easy to imagine a world in which Nex Benedict felt safe. In fact, that's a world far easier to create than the one we're currently living in.
www.usatoday.com
The world Nex Benedict deserved isn't hard to create. It just takes love and respect.
None of this intolerance is easy. And there are ways Oklahoma, or any state for that matter, could make the world a better place for a child like Nex Benedict.
Sara PequeñoRex Huppke
USA TODAY
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Nex Benedict will be 16 years old forever.
And while we wait to learn exactly what caused the Oklahoma teenager’s death, we know many things with certainty:
Nex’s final days on this earth were plagued with bullying that targeted the teen’s gender identity.
That bullying erupted into a fight in the Owasso High School bathroom, and landed Nex in the hospital.
The state of Oklahoma and, in particular, the state’s school superintendent, have dehumanized transgender youth by implementing policies and making statements that make life harder on a small percentage of kids known to be at higher risk of bullying and suicide.
We don't need an autopsy to know Oklahoma failed Nex Benedict
There may be no straight line between Nex’s death and the bullying or the grown-up state officials whose actions have created a permission structure that allows such bullying. But isn’t the fact that this 16-year-old endured bullying right up until the last day of life reason enough to condemn the circumstances that let any of it happen?
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Republicans and abortion rights:Reproductive health was an election minefield for Republicans. It got worse with IVF.
Here’s a simple fact that won’t change, regardless of a final autopsy report: It’s not hard to imagine a world in which Nex felt safe.
In fact, that’s a world far easier to create than the one we’re living in, the one where adults spend hours and days and years building laws and permission structures that encourage others to bully children who want nothing more than a chance to live as their authentic selves.
On Wednesday, an open letter signed by more than 350 groups from Oklahoma and across the country called on the state legislature to “immediately remove Ryan Walters from his position as Oklahoma State Superintendent of Public Instruction and to begin an investigation into the Oklahoma Department of Education to determine what actions and policies have led to a culture where rampant harassment” of gender nonconforming students “has been allowed to go unchecked.”
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'Woke gender games'? State official's language encourages bullying.
In response, Walters fell back on bigoted, right-wing platitudes, telling ABC News that he will not “play woke gender games, and I will not back down to a woke mob.”
He continued: “We've seen radical leftists who've tried to create this idea of gender fluidity, which frankly, it confuses students, and causes all kinds of chaos in the classroom and chaos with families.”
So it's "radical" to want children to feel safe and accepted? Seems more radical to target children for political gain.
The future of public schools:Welcome to the GOP's new education agenda: Loot our public schools for private vouchers
Walters's views are both devoid of compassion and flatly wrong. As the American Medical Association has stated, “Every major medical association recognizes the vital role of gender-affirming care” and attributed “increased bullying” to the “significantly higher rates of suicidal ideation” among transgender youth.
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Oklahoma lawmakers have been openly hostile to LGBTQ+ people
This has been felt in his home state: A 2022 survey from The Trevor Project, an LGBTQ+ crisis intervention organization, found that “48% of LGBTQ youth in Oklahoma seriously considered suicide in the past year, including 55% of transgender and nonbinary youth.”
Oklahoma lawmakers have put restrictions on gender-affirming care and barred transgender students from using school bathrooms that align with their gender identity. Walters recently hired a rabidly anti-trans out-of-state social media figure to serve on the state’s Library Media Advisory Committee, a grotesque political stunt and a blaring insult to every LGBTQ+ person in the state.
None of this intolerance is easy. And there are ways Oklahoma, or any state for that matter, could make the world a better place for a child like Nex.
It is imperative that allies educate themselves and help create that reality. Here are some things you can do.
Respect names and pronouns – it's not hard to do
If a transgender or nonbinary person tells you they are using different pronouns than what they previously used, practice using them. Make sentences in your head using the person’s correct pronouns. If you make a mistake, apologize without fanfare and remember it next time. The same thing goes for names. If you hear someone else misgender or deadname a transgender person you know, correct them – even if the trans person in question may never know about it.
AD
Monitor anti-LGBTQ+ legislation and vote accordingly
Transphobic legislation mostly appears at the state level. According to the ACLU, state legislators across the country have filed nearly 470 anti-trans bills during the 2024 session. Not all of these bills will become law; in fact, 21 of those bills have already been defeated. They do add to the fear that transgender and nonbinary people in the United States are feeling. Look up what laws are being filed in your state, and who is filing them. Come November, vote with transgender people in mind.
Support and learn from groups that help LGBTQ+ people
Get involved in your state’s LGBTQ+ advocacy group. Freedom Oklahoma has been at the forefront of sharing Nex’s story and promoting candlelight vigils, but they also hold events and provide resources to the community. Every state has a comparable nonprofit, and they deserve your attention, your time and your money.
A child is a child, regardless of identity. Try to make their life better.
If you know someone who is transgender or nonbinary, know that they are so much more than their gender. They are still your child, your relative, your neighbor or your classmate. Nex’s friends and family say the teenager was an artist who loved to cook and play Minecraft, just like lots of other teens. Check in on the transgender people in your life in this moment of grieving.
There are children like Nex across the country, who know who they are and are trying to exist within a system that punishes them for existing. You can’t legislate them away. Gender diversity has existed for thousands of years across different cultures, and will continue to exist.
Transgender children deserve to grow up, and transgender adults deserve to grow old. We are all responsible for making that the reality.
AD
For resources and support for LGBTQ+ youth, parents and allies, visit thetrevorproject.org. If you or someone you know is in need of mental health resources and support, please call, text or chat the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline or visit 988lifeline.org for 24/7 access to free and confidential services.
More news.
www.google.com
It's actually good seeing kids, teens, and people in general show the good in humanity. Especially those at Nex's school doing the right thing.
www.teenvogue.com
www.seattletimes.com
To the three girls that murdered Nex, I hope you're watching all this. Go ahead, but the guilt you up if you actually have any morality left.
www.vox.com
After Nex Benedict’s death, LGBTQ youth group saw 200% rise in crisis contacts from Oklahoma
The Rainbow Youth Project, a national LGBTQ suicide prevention group, also said calls increased ahead of a protest in Owasso, Oklahoma, by Westboro Baptist Church.
It's actually good seeing kids, teens, and people in general show the good in humanity. Especially those at Nex's school doing the right thing.
How Nex Benedict's Classmates Are Working to Make Their School Safer for LGBTQ Kids
“We’re out here taking action and that’s where my hope mainly comes from.”
Seattle-based Native, LGBTQ+ activists gather to honor Nex Benedict
More than 100 people attended a Seattle vigil for Benedict, who was 16 and nonbinary and died the day after an altercation in an Oklahoma high school bathroom.
www.seattletimes.com
To the three girls that murdered Nex, I hope you're watching all this. Go ahead, but the guilt you up if you actually have any morality left.
The unanswered questions surrounding the tragic death of Nex Benedict
A trans teen is dead. The state he lived in made his life as hard as possible.
More than anything else, I'm curious why they haven't released an official cause of death yet.The unanswered questions surrounding the tragic death of Nex Benedict
A trans teen is dead. The state he lived in made his life as hard as possible.
Corrupt and incompetent cops. If this was a regular white non-transperson, they would have reported a cause of death by now. Besides, it's already been said Nex was beaten to death, but the cops ain't doing their job, because of the anti-trans law in Oklahoma. If this was Michigan, the cause of death would have already been stated by now, and those three girls would have already been in custody. Hence why there are outside investigators doing their job the state authorities are laxing on.
Public Frustrated Over Lack Of Updates In Nex Benedict Case During Owasso School Board
Owasso held its first school board meeting on Monday night since the death of high school student Nex Benedict.
Owasso Board of Education meeting for the first time since Nex Benedict's death
Owasso Public Schools' Board of Education is set to meet publicly for the first time since student Nex Benedict died the day after a school fight.
www.kjrh.com
The fact that it took this long for a BOE meet starting now is telling something.
Community holds candlelight vigil in honor of Nex Benedict
Nex was a 16-year-old student in Owasso Oklahoma who was attacked after experiencing bullying by students due to gender identity. They passed away the following day due to their injuries.
www.wbng.com
GLAAD calls for removal of Oklahoma’s top education official in new ad following death of Nex Benedict
The LGBTQ media advocacy organization GLAAD is launching a new multimedia ad campaign calling for the removal of Oklahoma’s top education official, whose views and policies on LGBTQ issues have com…
thehill.com
I don't believe cause of death is public information. So if everything was done properly and everything was determined, then it's on the parents to decide or not decide to make it public.
Why are you hating on the cops so much? From what we've seen, the cops didn't do anything wrong.
I hate on cops that are incompetent, corrupt, and following a system that's attacking the marginalized. While protocol needs to be done, they screwed up at the very beginning and you know it. I wouldn't be surprised with your response as you like sucking up the corrupt cops. Not to mention all that anti-trans and LGBT laws going on in Oklahoma. Like I said before, most cost in Michigan would have done their jobs are probably already by now and those three girls would have been charged in detail. I have no use for people who make half asses on hurting and abusing others or ignoring their actual official duties. A coward like you wouldn't understand nor can understand. You only care about yourself and your human shields. Just like your precious masters.
Based on what is actually known about this case, what did the cops do wrong? It looks like they did what they were supposed to do for some teens fighting in the bathroom. If anything, it would be on the hospital staff for missing a more serious head injury than otherwise assumed (if it indeed was a head injury that resulted in the death, and is also something that the medical professionals should've looked into). Notice how I'm not yelling and screaming that the medical staff at the hospital is corrupt and incompetent until more is known?
I'm a coward for assuming good in people or innocent until guilty? I do understand because I look at every position if I was on both sides. If I was one of cops and merely did my normal job, I'd be like "WTF, why are internet randos calling me corrupt and incompetent when we did what is standard for some kids fighting at school?" Chances are only the kids really know what happened and chances also are it was just kids fighting and got out of hand. I'm sure everyone has several stories of growing up where if something happened slightly differently, it could've resulted in someone's death and it really wouldn't have been anyone's fault. The human body is both very durable and very vulnerable at the same time; you accidently or just plain bad luck get hit in the wrong spot, it can be very serious and cause death.
I'm not certain this would even be the case if Nex had died on site. Do you really think high school freshmen getting into a fight at school get the book thrown at them?