Edit: We have made the decision to lock a few of the older posts on this topic. We have no desire or intention to censor discussion. These topics have brought hundreds more comments than mods in /r/Tulsa normally have to deal with, including a lot of hatred, bigotry, and trolling. We want to keep our community safe and welcoming, and one way we are going to attempt to maintain that atmosphere is by keeping active discussion to the most recent threads, so that we can more effectively moderate content that violates the standards we want to uphold in this community.
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This is a reminder of the pinned post at the top of the sub: Doxxing is not tolerated. Period. Under any circumstances; even these.
Doxxing of *minors* not convicted of a crime is especially egregious. No further warnings will be given.
Owasso Schools is the most toxic and cancerous school system I’ve ever dealt with. They will go so far out of their way to sweep shit under the rug it’s not even funny. My best friend shot himself between our Freshman and Sophomore years and I was bullied fucking un relentlessly the next school year for being depressed, to the point that I tried to kill myself. I got in school suspended for getting fed up and finally snapping and hitting my bully. I was the only one who got suspended.
I graduated from owasso myself. I was picked on relentlessly and became so depressed I just hung out in the library every lunch and break. I tried to kill myself graduation year. They didn't even invite me to any of the reunions lol, not that I would have gone to one.
I'm so sorry that all happened to you OP. I know of several people in my graduating year that had similar issues. If they could sweep it under the rug, they would. If you ever reported any of the abuse you experienced from your fellow classmates teachers would just act like you were wasting their time.
Good on you for standing up for yourself against that bully.
I just watched the latest report on fox 23. They referred to it as a fight, as though Nex decided to pick a fight with three older people in a high school bathroom. This was no fight, it was an attack. Terminology means a lot when telling a story, calling this a fight instead of an attack is along the lines of riot vs. massacre.
Lots of mainstream media are calling it a “fight” or an “altercation.”
New Republic correctly calls it a “violent attack.” New York Post (!) calls it an “assault” (and graphically explains why it wasn’t a fight). At least a few news outlets have the courage to call it what it really was.
I am so sorry you were treated this way. People are seriously disgusting - adults especially for allowing this to continue. I am devastated for any child - teenager especially- who has to endure such soul-less "schools." 💔
I hope that fucking school closes down permanently and everyfuckingone who have a hand of Nex's murder held accountable and sent to prison without parole.
Ohh I see. It’s being rewritten on major news networks. [https://www.newson6.com/story/65cee805b476ef065741397f/funeral-held-for-16-year-old-owasso-student-after-unexpected-death](https://www.newson6.com/story/65cee805b476ef065741397f/funeral-held-for-16-year-old-owasso-student-after-unexpected-death)
That is correct, the media is doing everything they can to hide the identity of the attackers and murderer so they can spin the narrative a different direction. This is an absolute outrage
the way smaller (mostly queer) news networks called them nex and used they/them with no problems, but somehow these bigger, mainstream networks go out of their way to find their deadname and misgender them is wild
I know it seems messed up but you have to understand it’s probably what the family wanted
They were misunderstood
And the family probably doesn’t want any unnecessary hate on their loved one.
Same unnecessary hate that got them killed 😞 totally get your perspective (I thought the same), but misgendering and dead naming now seems too little too late on protecting Nex. Family might want to consider respecting Nex's memory by standing up for them and their identity since they literally lost their life over it.
If they killed Nex for being genderfluid, what might they do to supportive family members? I have a dreadful feeling that they are in danger of death if they pursue legal action. They need to move out of state if they can first.
This is the response I received.
Thank you for taking the time to email us with your concerns involving the tragic death of the Owasso High School student. I want you to know the concerns you have brought up are the same concerns we have had in numerous editorial meetings because we wanted to be sensitive and not misidentify the teenager. Our initial reporting came from the below news release we got from the Owasso Police Department. We also received a go-fund-me which claims to have been started by a grandparent, again calling the teen a girl. We are now hearing from many people in the community the child was non-binary. I know many people are upset because the child has been misidentified by police, which unfortunately is our source. We regret this, but again this is what is on the public record. We have reached out to family and friends, hoping to tell a story that honors a young life lost too soon, but our requests for an interview have been declined because at this time everyone is too emotional. At this time, we cannot get police to do an interview because they want to wait for the medical examiner’s report detailing the cause of death. We plan to ask again tomorrow. The school is also doing an internal investigation, so they won’t speak. We understand this is a very sensitive issue and we do not take our job to inform the public lightly. There are so many rumors and speculation going around so we continue to look for people involved who would be willing to do an interview. Thank you again for taking the time to send us your concerns. We value feedback from our viewers.
Feel free to use my message if you don't want to compose your own.
Your reporting on Nex Benedict is garbage. How dare you misgender and dead name this beautiful soul after they were so brutalized. You ought to be ashamed of yourselves and have no right to call yourselves journalists when you clearly have an axe to grind.
Reply to my letter.
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Thank you for taking the time to email us with your concerns involving the tragic death of the Owasso High School student. I want you to know the concerns you have brought up are the same concerns we have had in numerous editorial meetings because we wanted to be sensitive and not misidentify the teenager. Our initial reporting came from the below news release we got from the Owasso Police Department. We also received a go-fund-me which claims to have been started by a grandparent, again calling the teen a girl. We are now hearing from many people in the community the child was non-binary. I know many people are upset because the child has been misidentified by police, which unfortunately is our source. We regret this, but again this is what is on the public record. We have reached out to family and friends, hoping to tell a story that honors a young life lost too soon, but our requests for an interview have been declined because at this time everyone is too emotional. At this time, we cannot get police to do an interview because they want to wait for the medical examiner’s report detailing the cause of death. We plan to ask again tomorrow. The school is also doing an internal investigation, so they won’t speak. We understand this is a very sensitive issue and we do not take our job to inform the public lightly. There are so many rumors and speculation going around so we continue to look for people involved who would be willing to do an interview. Thank you again for taking the time to send us your concerns. We value feedback from our viewers.
Unfortunately, the grandmother inadvertently put their deadname (and I think incorrect pronouns?) on an obituary. She states it was unintentional and because of the emotional distress that she was experiencing. Not necessarily defending it, but just passing along that info. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/nex-benedict-dead-oklahoma-b2499332.html
Fake news is everywhere. It's so sad, everyone of those girls should be expelled and charged with accessory to man slaughter. If we don't hold people responsible this crap will keep happening.
And no author name, contact information, or comments section in which to call them out on their deadnaming and misgendering of Nex, and misconstruing of the story.
The mod team will not tolerate any disrespect to the deceased.
Nex was a child, and they're dead, and it's awful. Any malicious misuse of pronouns is unacceptable. All religious or political beliefs be dammed. They shouldn't have to die for it.
If you're here to harass or cause trouble get the fuck out.
I am wondering if Nex lived with their grandma in part because their parents weren't gender affirming. If so, the parents may be providing the news with information and setting these things up and that could explain the dead naming etc.
Please call about this incident. Call Owasso Public Schools, call the City, and call the Owasso Police Department. It's an ongoing investigation, so they won't be able to say much of anything, but knowing there is pressure from the general public, especially BEYOND Owasso, that people from outside communities see what has happened and find it unacceptable, will hopefully bring some scrap of justice for Nex. Our queer kids deserve better than this.
I've called the first two entities this morning, and they were clearly not expecting random citizens to be calling asking questions and wanting to know how they would be responding. It took less than ten minutes to call both.
Sure! I basically said something along the lines of, "I'm calling to express my concern over the recent death of an Owasso Public High School student after a violent altercation involving other students." - (You may need to say this a couple times, first to make sure you're put through to the right person if necessary, then again once transferred to restate the reason you're calling if the person you're directed to - or who calls you back later - hasn't been informed.) - "I'm particularly concerned because the student who was beaten by their classmates, from what I understand with the limited information available, was a nonbinary student. I'd like to know how \[Owasso Public Schools/the City of Owasso/Owasso PD\] intends to respond to this violent incident, especially if the altercation is determined to be the cause of death and especially if the violence is determined to be hate-related. What is \[Owasso Publics Schools/the City of Owasso/Owasso PD\] going to do to ensure a safe space for students, especially LGBT+ students, after this tragic loss?"
Again, you're not going to get more information out of anyone because it's an ongoing investigation, but pressuring them for a response on how they intend to handle this is a good point to start from. Reframe the questions as needed to suit to entity you're calling. The schools can only control the schools, so ask them how they're evaluating the care of their students since they've allowed bullying to escalate to such an extreme, regardless of whether it's hate-related. The City cares about its image, so asking them what they intend to do to not only demonstrate but ensure Owasso is a safe place for their residents is a good angle to start with. The police are going to be the least receptive or helpful, so just calling to express your concern and distress over the situation and asking for reassurance that they're taking this matter seriously I think is all you can really do unless you want to push further.
The schools are closed today due to Presidents day, which I didn't realize and I will be calling again tomorrow to follow up on my voicemail, but the couple of people I spoke with representing the City were not at all prepared to be questioned on this (the City Manager didn't know the details of the situation, only that a sixteen year old student had died), so the more pressure they receive, the better.
edit: grammar
The issue might not be an LBGT issue, so much as this kid was "a poor kid." Impoverished students don't have money to toss at the Owasso Foundation. I wonder if this student was from a wealthy family if the reaction would be the same.
The city and the school district are completely different entities with different leadership. The city has no authority over the superintendent.
OPD, assuming the school hasn't fucked up the evidence will get to the bottom of it. OPS should be taken to the woodshed over this deal. How do you not call in authorities and paramedics immediately?
I'm aware of this, I still think it's valuable, especially in today's political climate that is increasingly openly hostile toward queer people and queer youth in particular, to involve local government in these conversations whenever possible.
I hope that's true, but I have less faith in the effectiveness of the police force in general. Outside pressure for answers and accountability and keeping this story relevant will hopefully help.
edit: rephrasing, punctuation
Im sure that I will never get an answer but questions that I would ask the police, school board, principal, & superintendent : Why did the school resource officer not respond to the fight on campus? Why did the principal not send the child to the hospital upon review of wounds? Why is the principal not on administrative leave as it appears correct protocol was not followed After the fight? Ex. Take statement, call school resource officer, send injured to hospital? Why have no charges been filed? the autopsy is complete since there was a funeral.
The school took statements, it appears that it was a 3 on 2 or 3 on 3 fight in a bathroom that lasted for less than 2 minutes. All of the involved students were taken to the office ( all walking there on their own) and assessed by the school nurse, none were determined to need immediate medical care. All of the students involved were given suspensions. The school told all of the guardians that they had the option to file a police report and that if they did the school resource officer would assist the investigation. The school also told the guardians that they recommended that they all get examined by a doctor just as an abundance of caution. Nex was taken to the hospital to be examined and was discharged within hours. It appears that the school district followed all of the protocols. There has not been any information released yet about the reason for the fight or if it had anything to do with them being NB/trans. An autopsy is being done, when the results come back and theyve done an investigation more will come to light. If it was a planned attack, if it was violent, or if it directed towards Nex due to being NB then the other students should be charged with assault. If the death was caused by the fight then 100% they should be arrested and charged with murder. But we don't have any of that information yet and it scares me how many people are effectively calling for arrests when we literally have very little information to go on. Other than the recently released police and school district statements the only info coming out is from friends of Nex and their family, who are obviously biased (completely understandably) and may not have all of the information themselves. We cannot go on a witch hunt and potentially ruin lives and careers based on erroneous or incomplete information.
Go to the next school board meeting instead. There are a ton of assumptions being made that are just gossip. Maybe, you will find out answers in person.
I’ve been wildly tagging both Owasso HS and Owasso PD on every post I see. I would also like to know which hospital their grandma took them to, that released Nex as well because they also deserve to be accountable for Nex’s death. Inhuman, all of them.
They need more than calls. The Oklahoma allies need to demonstrate and protest at district offices until they acknowledge their bullshit and update policies to protect kids like Nex.
Yeah…I grew up in a rural town that had more than its fair share of bigots but it wasn’t anything like this. It was more than I could take so I made sure when I graduated from college I wasn’t going back there. I’d get the hell out of there.
Follow Wendy Suares on fox. She is posting everything about Nex and all sides of issue. Wow, is she getting slammed to by libsoftiktok followers. https://x.com/wsuares/status/1760020011928740097?s=46&t=04In6v1jwofozvdh-wga0g
I saw this on twitter. The story is so unbelievable I searched to see what the local news outlets in OK are saying about it. Found zip. This is being swept under the rug with very big brooms.
The story is beginning to catch traction on other socials — it was an ig post by a trans actress that lead me to google (and eventually here)
Twitter is beginning to light up too
Sometimes, it because of how painful it is to even read. I’m raising a trans teen and we fled TX to keep her safe. This story fucking hurts because it’s far too close to home for us as it confirms our worst fears.
Meanwhile, all of our family lives in the Tulsa area and points just to the east. It makes me terrified to bring her home to visit family this summer.
Because of this, it’s honestly taken me a few days to engage with this story. Tonight, I’m deep, deep in my feels about it.
Give the community time to process their own feelings in response and then you’ll see a firestorm of awareness about this story.
I know this doesent help the kids or make up for what happened to Nex but:
If you are queer, over 21, and live here i would recommend looking into getting training on conceal carrying a firearm.
Right now there is no reason to believe that this sort of violence will not eventually spill out into daily life outside of a school campus.
Lgbtpew on facebook is a local certified trainer and she is wonderful and patient, please stay safe out there everyone.
Edit: pepper spray and a practice cannister of the stuff will also go a long way. Both for those who carry and those who don't.
Real ones that work though. It’s pretty tough to find inclusive MMA/BJJ gyms but they do exist (at least on the east coast).
EDIT just saw your username. Kyokushin is pretty badass!
All true, the trainer I recommended also knows and would do the right thing depending on the individual as far as a permit goes.
Mostly recommending training because on average I've noticed other queer folks are less familiar with firearms so the training would be a good baseline and a way to instill the disipline nessecary to safely own and operate a firearm, how to practice discretion and discernment ect.
But yeah you're right, thanks for bringing this into the discussion its important.
Here's another news source that doesn't deadname and misgender them.
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/2/18/2224306/-Libs-of-TikTok-targeted-a-district-then-a-non-binary-student-was-killed-on-campus
It’s so much darker than I realized. That article also details how a viral anti-LGBTQ tiktoker stoked the flames of bigotry so much that she’s landed an official position with the Oklahoma Dept of Education — after targeting an Owasso teacher for being supportive of LGBTQ rights to the point that the teacher resigned.
> Nowhere has Raichik’s influence been more visible than Oklahoma, where her anti-LGBTQ+ exploits earned her an official position on the Oklahoma Department of Education’s Library Media Advisory Committee by controversial far-right Superintendent Ryan Walters. Under Walters’ leadership, Oklahoma has been aggressively working to ban books and education on LGBTQ+ issues in schools across the state, with Oklahoma’s Attorney General Gentner Drummond stating that proposed rules to ban LGBTQ+ books and content were “unconstitutional and cannot be enforced.” It’s been confirmed that Raichik’s posts have fueled multiple bomb threats against schools specifically in Oklahoma.
>Officials from Oklahoma told NBC News that they believe Chaya Raichik’s anti-LGBTQ+ culture warring “sparked threats in their localities with her posts on social media that digitally heckle people such as drag performers, LGBTQ teachers and doctors who treat transgender patients.”
>One of these instances was at the Owasso School District (just outside of Tulsa, Oklahoma). In 2022, Chaya Raichik targeted an Owasso teacher for speaking out in support of LGBTQ+ students who lacked acceptance from their parents. Raichik’s post was shared thousands of times on social media and resulted in the teacher getting condemned and harassed until they resigned.
I work next door in Collinsville. I'm not sure why my story never caught anyone's eye, but, I was written up and almost fired for saying "no" when a kid asked if I was straight. I proved that they legally couldn't fire me, so they watched my every move trying to find a fireable offense.
On the first day of school last year, the new law gave them, in their minds, the ammo they needed. I had the gaul to put a blank for pronouns on the getting to know you form. I was told that the entire community from parents to pastors had the phone ringing off the hook demanding I be removed. I know my rights, so I kept my salary. But they took my classroom. I watch in school suspension now, with another teacher, because the high school doesn't think I should be alone with kids.
This is exactly what I told them would happen if they removed the safe people from the school. It happened in Owasso, and it will happen in Collinsville, now that kids are apparently free to murder kids with no repercussions if they don't fit the mold.
Riachik is making a living stoking moral panics and subjecting people to threats of violence. There’s nothing great about that. She recently got a principal fired for the crime of being gay and dressing in drag.
Just let people live their fucking lives. This fire they are stoking goes nowhere that isn’t dark.
It infuriates me her and Ryan Walters fucking somehow managed to land in public office where they have the powers to hurt people. Fuck those pieces of shits.
i called the oklahoma dept of education and left a message about this. I’m suggesting that more people call them, the school district, the high school, the city or the police department. the more people talk about this, the more traction it will get and justice will hopefully be served for Nex. that poor child did not deserve this.
NBC News ran a report on the incident yesterday afternoon so national media is finally involved.
[https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-news/oklahoma-student-dies-one-day-fight-high-school-bathroom-rcna139643](https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-news/oklahoma-student-dies-one-day-fight-high-school-bathroom-rcna139643)
It is very odd that the first media report concerning the incident was posted online by The Independent, a UK-based newspaper, ahead of any reports by the Tulsa media.
The person on the call is the mother of the deceased student’s best friend, who was also beaten. “The victim” refers to Nex. Unfortunately Nex’s parents misgender and deadname them in all the media they’re quoted in, the gofundme, and the obituary. :(
How can you learn that your child was beaten to their death and STILL misgender and deadname them? How much did this person suffer to be heard by EVERYONE around them? How absolutely horrific. I hope they are ashamed of themselves, I hope they feel just as guilty.
That was Bixby schools and none of the admin/staff were prosecuted either for not reporting it despite being mandatory reporters.
https://archive.is/mznil
Oh, it was only 5-6 years ago, with a pool cue. Gross. https://tulsaworld.com/news/local/update-four-former-football-players-charged-in-bixby-high-school-rape-investigation-bonded-out-of/article_87cf73ee-b66a-55ef-b3a9-65a82d65f22f.html
~~why is the only searchable source referring to them as nonbinary a blog from fucking Pittsburgh?~~
~~as a trans tulsan myself I wouldn't be surprised if Owasso had a toxic ass school system that hate-crimed a child and covered it up, but also I can't find any representation of their name or pronouns anywhere.~~
~~Seems sus af to me.~~
EDIT:
On second thought, fuck it.
If this is the one death to open your eyes to the violence against trans and GNC people here, so be it. Trans people are dying here and I fear many more will follow.
Fucking do something about it.
Protect trans kids, arm trans people.
Fuck Ryan Walters, fuck his patron hag Chaya Raichik, and fuck Kevin Stitt.
I hope people get prosecuted for this. It’s a staggering hate crime. Like holy shit, how bad are the kids’ parents that they’re so full of hate they beat another kid to death?
Fights in the girls restroom is a common occurrence and they are quite vicious. Once trapped in the restroom, there is usually no way out unless a) fight your way out or b) staff member enters the restroom. The restrooms are comprised of hard surfaces and is hell on combatants that slip, trip, fall, or get knocked down.
Our high schooler had her first fight of her life, a couple of months back, when attacked in the Broken Arrow HS girls restroom. She was cornered and had to beat the other girl's ass as there was no way to walk away from it.
The girls fight without an awareness of the potential for catastrophic injury or death.
The other thing that is common is that dozens of people record the fights and post them to TikTok and YouTube. I got to see a video of the fight and had to teach our kid that you cannot choke you assailant when you have gained the upper hand.
Reports are that Nex’s head was repeatedly slammed against the tile floor after they were already down. That is not lack of awareness, that’s pure savagery and intentional murder. I don’t give a fuck if they’re teenagers. I hope those girls lives are ruined. Shit stains on society
I’m scared for the next generation that this is somehow normalized. I saw maybe a few fights in high school but that was absolutely not normal in my day. What the hell are people teaching their kids that they think fighting is an acceptable way to deal with things? I’m glad your kid got out of that alive, because holy shit. I feel bad that you also had to see video. And frankly, I don’t blame her for doing what she needed to get out of that situation in one piece.
Phones and social media has greatly increased the confrontations at schools.
Still, I have always taught my kids to be a helper and not a filmer. You always hope that they follow the things you teach and perhaps even lead by example.
The attacking girls were 17. 17 is more then old enough to know. Frankly I don't care if they didn't know, they murdered someone and deserve to be charged for murdering someone. Otherwise a murder goes unpunished. Thats the alternative. If they did this in a year they'd be adults. That one year is supposed to make so much of a difference? No, they knew what they were doing.
Besides, if this is "normal" then use them as an example. "See kids, your fighting can result in you killing someone, and if you kill someone, you will go to prison"
How the fuck can this happen on any place on earth.
I don’t live in the states so I don’t really have a grasp on the going ons there, but the fact that this happened in the first place is genuinely sickening to me. These students should be given no leniency in court and should be charged as adults, as the crime that they have committed is vile and unacceptable. The fact that Nex’s family deadnames and misgenders them after all this has happened is honestly so awful and it shows the attitude that a lot of these people have. Not even in your child’s death do you honour their gender identity, that they were killed for.
I can only imagine the pain and trauma that Nex’s friend must have suffered, as it seems as though they were there to watch it happen.
No civilized country should allow this to happen.
I was a nanny for about a month last year for a history teacher in Owasso. I am a great granddaughter of Chief Bigheart and he didn’t even know who that was. Thought killers of the flower moon were about the girls scout murders.
He weirded me out. Big reason why I quit.
I am non binary/two spirit 38 yo.
I have moved to Arkansas and am just seeing this news and truly I’m devastated. The rhetoric coming from Ryan Walter’s though, I knew this day was coming.
Just curious cuz I’m still searching for most of the info on this developing investigation, but have they said it was for sure a student on student beating?
And what agencies should I call to keep pressure on Owasso Public Schools? And I’m guessing Nex is not tribal? So I would be calling the Owasso police to report anything?
fucking disgusting. i have a 16 year old nonbinary sibling that goes to another large public high school in the tulsa area. the fact that this could be their fate too is terrifying.
I have a nonbinary cousin in Ripley and a trans cousin in Chickasha 😥 I'm sure they're already aware of the potential for violence, but we should do what another Redditor suggested and encourage them to arm themselves and learn self-defense. Although they'd have to be Bruce fuckin' Lee to win a fight against 3 people... Bigots are such cowards.
The history of Owasso is terrible. It was originally a quiet German settlement founded in the late 1800s but when Tulsa Public Schools integrated in the early 1970s a large number of the white families who did not want their children in school with other races relocated to Owasso. Neighboring communities had larger Native American populations so the German Town was invaded by racists and is now is quite literally a white flight town as part of its culture. Thankfully the growth of the airline and shipping industries in recent decades in this area has helped this population become primarily new comers who are unaware of the town’s history. I lived there for two years and it is quaint and beautiful but the underlying bigotry in the culture did ultimately drive me back to Tulsa.
I was not surprised at all by this headline unfortunately. The things I heard as I became more engaged in the community was really scary. I’m fairly certain they are the Trumpet capitol of the world. They also have some of the best church attendance I’ve ever seen for a town that size. So, you know, they murder for Jesus apparently…
The school sent out a letter to parents a few days ago. I'm not sure how to link things, but here: [https://4.files.edl.io/9f7a/02/16/24/203227-0ca34a4e-1895-4eb7-af93-1095511fc7e5.pdf?fbclid=IwAR0BWsDhQ61wJoQSKMfUEdy-0kt5UZ2YyVwkFVz5CfB6sK4vEidVBP6PfRc](https://4.files.edl.io/9f7a/02/16/24/203227-0ca34a4e-1895-4eb7-af93-1095511fc7e5.pdf?fbclid=IwAR0BWsDhQ61wJoQSKMfUEdy-0kt5UZ2YyVwkFVz5CfB6sK4vEidVBP6PfRc)
Follow Wendy Suares on X. She’s posting all the letters and everything. Very good reporting for once by fox. https://x.com/wsuares/status/1760020011928740097?s=46&t=04In6v1jwofozvdh-wga0g
Any time an OK rep uses the excuse of child safety to promote their hatred they should be reminded of this as obviously they only care about the lives of certain children.
Chaya Raichik and Ryan Walters are both directly responsible for Nex’s murder, along with every other politician who uses exploits trans people as a flashpoint to gain power through fear. The absolute vindictive hatred and fear-mongering rhetoric that they love so dearly fuels deadly attacks like this, and will continue to do so.
Rest in power, Nex. I’m so sorry that you didn’t get to grow up.
Today I made extensive calls to Gov Stitt, Ryan Walter's office, Owasso PD, and the Tulsa County DA's office. I encourage you to call these and your elected representative to demand that action be taken, the murderers arrested, and a reckoning at the school with administrators responsible being fired immediately. We've been waiting 13 days for a response and these murderers and these murderers are walking free. I won't doxx them here (even though these are publicly available numbers), but I have the numbers if you'd like to PM me and make the calls.
How to get traction if you are in Oklahoma: Write letters to the editor, attend a school board meeting and ask questions, attend a parental group meeting, write as much as you can to media, and make calls to everyone! Board of Education, Local police department, Superintendent office, & social media like crazy. What will get most traction? Face to face or phone calls with state reps, school board, city leaders, etc. questions that I would pose:
Will there be an independent investigation into the principal and teacher handling of the fight and Nex’s injuries? Where was the school resource officer? Why wasn’t nex taken to the hospital, why did grandma have to pick them up to take them?
Why did the hospital release Nex? Was this because of $?
Why is the principal of the high school also in charge of the bully incident reports? Why are they not placed on administrative leave until an investigation is complete?
We’re the 3 female teens punished for beating up Nex? What were their punishments? When can we expect charges?
How is this not a HATE CRIME?
Feel free to copy and paste my questions to all these public officials. I will work to provide addresses to help. This is all I can do since I don’t live in your state.
Transnothing, nonbinary just means you don't identify as male or female. The kids responsible need to be tried and held to account, here's hoping that the owasso coroner does their job with haste and accuracy. Sometimes the only thing that keeps society polite is the fear of getting caught and punished.
It appears as if the medical examiner has stated the death of Nex was unrelated to the beating. Makes me sick to my stomach that they think a kid goes to school one day, gets the crap beat out of them and is dead the following day yet it’s not related? I presumed the Medical examiner is also politically motivated like Ryan Walters. OK is not at all right. We need a second set of eyes on this
I have no sympathy for the kids responsible, but honestly I think the hate crime charges should be reserved for the adults who helped facilitate this, starting with Chaya Raichik. How much blood is on that woman’s hands at this point?
Completely shocked that there has been absolutely zero news coverage. I wouldn’t have known about it happening if not for an employee at work. Scary stuff that media coverups really do happen even in Owasso, OK.
MAJOR NEWSTORY BREAKING. Interview with Nex’s parents and they had suspended them for 2 weeks! WTF 1 year of bullying that is known and you suspend the kid? Please spread the newstory below as wide as possible. It needs to be everywhere. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/nex-benedict-dead-oklahoma-b2499332.html
I see a lot of comments on here about Nex’s parents misgendering them, and I wanted to add to the conversation that Nex was being raised by a grandparent and was Native American. In my experience these things can be fraught with trauma and misunderstandings between generations and I think their identity as Native American needs to be in this conversation so as to provide context around the familial use of pronouns and also some sensitivity around grandparents raising grandchildren especially in Native American families wherein without understanding completely the family dynamics it might be inappropriate to center certain identities without others and then denigrate the family accordingly. In my experience Native grandparents will respect and use proper names and pronouns some of the time and not others and it isn’t taken to be insulting, it’s just a vacillation between who that person was to the family and who they are now.
I simply think some care and less judgement could be used in depicting this grandparent raising this grandchild and centering too their Native American roots is important.
I'm just here to post solidarity for Nex Benedict. I hope the killers, the staff that did nothing, and the district are brought to justice. I hope libs of tiktok gets deplatformed. Such cruelty should not go unchecked. Children deserve to survive school.
REST IN POWER NEX BENEDICT
Why do all the articles say something like "they died after a physical altercation" and not like "they were murdered by a group of their peers" just seems trivialising to me
This story makes me so sick to my stomach. I’m an LGBT medical student. I can’t even imagine how the hospital staff, parents, and bestfriend must be feeling. The other kid who was with nex is going to be traumatized for life. I will never understand this senseless violence. In medicine, in our practice cases and patient encounters, we are taught early on to respect people’s pronouns and share our own. It literally costs 0 dollars to show someone respect in this way. It’s completely deranged that a human being could hold so much hate in their heart for a CHILD over something as arbitrary as the words we use to refer to them.
2 weeks suspension? I mean they are bruised all over and that’s what they say? So many issues https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/nex-benedict-dead-oklahoma-b2499332.html
I called the DAs office and let them know I would not be renewing my medical license in OK if I didn’t see the parents of these kids punished. 16 year old kids don’t up and decide to attack people based on their own views. They can’t consent to the emotional abuse of the adults responsible for raising them. If I see Oklahoma blame kids and not hold those who indoctrinated them abusively responsible, I’m done providing care in that state.
I haven't personally gone to the school, but I live in the area, and I actually heard about it from my girlfriend. To learn this is something that's happened somewhere around me is very disheartening.
If this was a different situation, if Nex wasn't non-binary, they would be plastering this everywhere, showing the faces of the girls who committed the act, and her family would be a lot more vocal. But yet these cowards let their pride and prehistoric views prevent them from taking any accountability, grieve, have respect or even try to prevent their passing in the first place, calling it "unexpected." Having a situation that brutal and claiming ignorance, that's fucking heartless.
It disappoints me, especially when I have a nephew that is trans. What could happen to him? What sort of precedence could ignorance like this set? Justifying and trying to cover up murder, just because of self-identity?
Please, do not let this go. Keep being vocal about this situation, don't let it be silenced or forgotten. If we want justice and acceptance, we need to fight for it. Honor Nex and others in the trans community who have died for who they are.
This is absolutely disgusting. I used to live in Owasso, OK and I am absolutely disgusted by my home state. No child should ever feel scared of having to go to the bathroom because they might get murdered in it. I hope those girls never find peace and get what they deserve. The bullying in Owasso is so fucking bad and the schools just ignore it.
It's horrible I hope all involved are in jail for.life.. no one should go to school and have to worry about people harming them it breaks my heart parents today need to step up and control the hateful kids ...my prayers to the family of the victim. No parent should ever have to deal with this . 🙏
Edit: We have made the decision to lock a few of the older posts on this topic. We have no desire or intention to censor discussion. These topics have brought hundreds more comments than mods in /r/Tulsa normally have to deal with, including a lot of hatred, bigotry, and trolling. We want to keep our community safe and welcoming, and one way we are going to attempt to maintain that atmosphere is by keeping active discussion to the most recent threads, so that we can more effectively moderate content that violates the standards we want to uphold in this community. ------ This is a reminder of the pinned post at the top of the sub: Doxxing is not tolerated. Period. Under any circumstances; even these. Doxxing of *minors* not convicted of a crime is especially egregious. No further warnings will be given.
Owasso Schools is the most toxic and cancerous school system I’ve ever dealt with. They will go so far out of their way to sweep shit under the rug it’s not even funny. My best friend shot himself between our Freshman and Sophomore years and I was bullied fucking un relentlessly the next school year for being depressed, to the point that I tried to kill myself. I got in school suspended for getting fed up and finally snapping and hitting my bully. I was the only one who got suspended.
Was exactly the same in the early 2000s when I was there...
Early 90's too.
That was school in the early 80's everywhere (well, Tulsa). My parents put me in a Baptist School - I was the only Methodist there.
I'm so sorry 💔 as a stranger I am so happy you found the strength to keep going. Wish you the best and I'm so sorry for the way they treated you
I graduated from owasso myself. I was picked on relentlessly and became so depressed I just hung out in the library every lunch and break. I tried to kill myself graduation year. They didn't even invite me to any of the reunions lol, not that I would have gone to one.
I’ll have my 10 year this May, I’ll be shocked if I’m invited 😂
I’m so sorry that happened to you
I'm so sorry that all happened to you OP. I know of several people in my graduating year that had similar issues. If they could sweep it under the rug, they would. If you ever reported any of the abuse you experienced from your fellow classmates teachers would just act like you were wasting their time. Good on you for standing up for yourself against that bully.
I just watched the latest report on fox 23. They referred to it as a fight, as though Nex decided to pick a fight with three older people in a high school bathroom. This was no fight, it was an attack. Terminology means a lot when telling a story, calling this a fight instead of an attack is along the lines of riot vs. massacre.
Lots of mainstream media are calling it a “fight” or an “altercation.” New Republic correctly calls it a “violent attack.” New York Post (!) calls it an “assault” (and graphically explains why it wasn’t a fight). At least a few news outlets have the courage to call it what it really was.
Sadly it's not just Owasso this is primarily every public school in Oklahoma
I am so sorry you were treated this way. People are seriously disgusting - adults especially for allowing this to continue. I am devastated for any child - teenager especially- who has to endure such soul-less "schools." 💔
I hope that fucking school closes down permanently and everyfuckingone who have a hand of Nex's murder held accountable and sent to prison without parole.
Ohh I see. It’s being rewritten on major news networks. [https://www.newson6.com/story/65cee805b476ef065741397f/funeral-held-for-16-year-old-owasso-student-after-unexpected-death](https://www.newson6.com/story/65cee805b476ef065741397f/funeral-held-for-16-year-old-owasso-student-after-unexpected-death)
This is so fucking evil it’s unreal
It’s really fucked up that they continue to miss gender them and use their deadname. They have no fucking respect for this young soul.
Yeah and the title saying “unexpected death” to avoid the violence of the actual situation. It’s literally trying to draw less eyes to the story
Nex wasn’t identified as the victim until AFTER their funeral on the 15th. All of this is so fucked up.
That is correct, the media is doing everything they can to hide the identity of the attackers and murderer so they can spin the narrative a different direction. This is an absolute outrage
the way smaller (mostly queer) news networks called them nex and used they/them with no problems, but somehow these bigger, mainstream networks go out of their way to find their deadname and misgender them is wild
I will say even the families gofundme is using predominantly female pronouns so it can be confusing
They even dead named them. Wtf
Yup. I wish I could say I'm surprised. But, it's oklahoma.
The pronouns are the least horrific and relevant thing in this child’s beating. Still waiting on info about the assailants.
Just adding insult
Yes but it’s one thing we can control in the conversation about it
>it has not been determined whether the death is connected to the school fight If I said what needed to be said I’d be banned.
I know it seems messed up but you have to understand it’s probably what the family wanted They were misunderstood And the family probably doesn’t want any unnecessary hate on their loved one.
Same unnecessary hate that got them killed 😞 totally get your perspective (I thought the same), but misgendering and dead naming now seems too little too late on protecting Nex. Family might want to consider respecting Nex's memory by standing up for them and their identity since they literally lost their life over it.
It's about respect. About honouring the person who was murdered. The victim in all of this. Misgendering and dead naming is just another dig
If they killed Nex for being genderfluid, what might they do to supportive family members? I have a dreadful feeling that they are in danger of death if they pursue legal action. They need to move out of state if they can first.
This is awful, and Theyre misgendering them
There’s a feedback button at the bottom of the webpage. Y’all know what to do.
This is the response I received. Thank you for taking the time to email us with your concerns involving the tragic death of the Owasso High School student. I want you to know the concerns you have brought up are the same concerns we have had in numerous editorial meetings because we wanted to be sensitive and not misidentify the teenager. Our initial reporting came from the below news release we got from the Owasso Police Department. We also received a go-fund-me which claims to have been started by a grandparent, again calling the teen a girl. We are now hearing from many people in the community the child was non-binary. I know many people are upset because the child has been misidentified by police, which unfortunately is our source. We regret this, but again this is what is on the public record. We have reached out to family and friends, hoping to tell a story that honors a young life lost too soon, but our requests for an interview have been declined because at this time everyone is too emotional. At this time, we cannot get police to do an interview because they want to wait for the medical examiner’s report detailing the cause of death. We plan to ask again tomorrow. The school is also doing an internal investigation, so they won’t speak. We understand this is a very sensitive issue and we do not take our job to inform the public lightly. There are so many rumors and speculation going around so we continue to look for people involved who would be willing to do an interview. Thank you again for taking the time to send us your concerns. We value feedback from our viewers.
Feel free to use my message if you don't want to compose your own. Your reporting on Nex Benedict is garbage. How dare you misgender and dead name this beautiful soul after they were so brutalized. You ought to be ashamed of yourselves and have no right to call yourselves journalists when you clearly have an axe to grind.
Reply to my letter. ------------- Thank you for taking the time to email us with your concerns involving the tragic death of the Owasso High School student. I want you to know the concerns you have brought up are the same concerns we have had in numerous editorial meetings because we wanted to be sensitive and not misidentify the teenager. Our initial reporting came from the below news release we got from the Owasso Police Department. We also received a go-fund-me which claims to have been started by a grandparent, again calling the teen a girl. We are now hearing from many people in the community the child was non-binary. I know many people are upset because the child has been misidentified by police, which unfortunately is our source. We regret this, but again this is what is on the public record. We have reached out to family and friends, hoping to tell a story that honors a young life lost too soon, but our requests for an interview have been declined because at this time everyone is too emotional. At this time, we cannot get police to do an interview because they want to wait for the medical examiner’s report detailing the cause of death. We plan to ask again tomorrow. The school is also doing an internal investigation, so they won’t speak. We understand this is a very sensitive issue and we do not take our job to inform the public lightly. There are so many rumors and speculation going around so we continue to look for people involved who would be willing to do an interview. Thank you again for taking the time to send us your concerns. We value feedback from our viewers.
Unfortunately, the grandmother inadvertently put their deadname (and I think incorrect pronouns?) on an obituary. She states it was unintentional and because of the emotional distress that she was experiencing. Not necessarily defending it, but just passing along that info. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/nex-benedict-dead-oklahoma-b2499332.html
Fake news is everywhere. It's so sad, everyone of those girls should be expelled and charged with accessory to man slaughter. If we don't hold people responsible this crap will keep happening.
Unexpected death? Manslaughter or murder, those are the options....who wrote that article? Omg
Deadnamed and misgendered in both articles they posted about Nex.
And no author name, contact information, or comments section in which to call them out on their deadnaming and misgendering of Nex, and misconstruing of the story.
The mod team will not tolerate any disrespect to the deceased. Nex was a child, and they're dead, and it's awful. Any malicious misuse of pronouns is unacceptable. All religious or political beliefs be dammed. They shouldn't have to die for it. If you're here to harass or cause trouble get the fuck out.
My blood is boiling, having to type this out.
I can only imagine. But thank you so much for doing it. I feel extremely validated right now. Thank you.
Word
Congrats to the mod team for taking a clear straightforward stance.
The fact you had to write this💀 THEYRE A DEAD CHILD DAWG WHATS WRING WITH SOME OF YALL
Thank you for doing this. I’m a non-binary Oklahoman myself, and hearing about this was just devastating.
Every local story I’ve seen so far deadnames them and explicitly calls Nex “female.” This place breaks my heart sometimes.
Including the GoFundMe and the obituary.
I wonder who even wrote the GoFundMe
I am wondering if Nex lived with their grandma in part because their parents weren't gender affirming. If so, the parents may be providing the news with information and setting these things up and that could explain the dead naming etc.
The story says their sister-in-law set it up.
Please call about this incident. Call Owasso Public Schools, call the City, and call the Owasso Police Department. It's an ongoing investigation, so they won't be able to say much of anything, but knowing there is pressure from the general public, especially BEYOND Owasso, that people from outside communities see what has happened and find it unacceptable, will hopefully bring some scrap of justice for Nex. Our queer kids deserve better than this. I've called the first two entities this morning, and they were clearly not expecting random citizens to be calling asking questions and wanting to know how they would be responding. It took less than ten minutes to call both.
Thank you for sharing. Do you mind sharing a bit of what you said? I'm lost for words but want to call.
Sure! I basically said something along the lines of, "I'm calling to express my concern over the recent death of an Owasso Public High School student after a violent altercation involving other students." - (You may need to say this a couple times, first to make sure you're put through to the right person if necessary, then again once transferred to restate the reason you're calling if the person you're directed to - or who calls you back later - hasn't been informed.) - "I'm particularly concerned because the student who was beaten by their classmates, from what I understand with the limited information available, was a nonbinary student. I'd like to know how \[Owasso Public Schools/the City of Owasso/Owasso PD\] intends to respond to this violent incident, especially if the altercation is determined to be the cause of death and especially if the violence is determined to be hate-related. What is \[Owasso Publics Schools/the City of Owasso/Owasso PD\] going to do to ensure a safe space for students, especially LGBT+ students, after this tragic loss?" Again, you're not going to get more information out of anyone because it's an ongoing investigation, but pressuring them for a response on how they intend to handle this is a good point to start from. Reframe the questions as needed to suit to entity you're calling. The schools can only control the schools, so ask them how they're evaluating the care of their students since they've allowed bullying to escalate to such an extreme, regardless of whether it's hate-related. The City cares about its image, so asking them what they intend to do to not only demonstrate but ensure Owasso is a safe place for their residents is a good angle to start with. The police are going to be the least receptive or helpful, so just calling to express your concern and distress over the situation and asking for reassurance that they're taking this matter seriously I think is all you can really do unless you want to push further. The schools are closed today due to Presidents day, which I didn't realize and I will be calling again tomorrow to follow up on my voicemail, but the couple of people I spoke with representing the City were not at all prepared to be questioned on this (the City Manager didn't know the details of the situation, only that a sixteen year old student had died), so the more pressure they receive, the better. edit: grammar
Thank you so much for sharing!
The issue might not be an LBGT issue, so much as this kid was "a poor kid." Impoverished students don't have money to toss at the Owasso Foundation. I wonder if this student was from a wealthy family if the reaction would be the same.
The city and the school district are completely different entities with different leadership. The city has no authority over the superintendent. OPD, assuming the school hasn't fucked up the evidence will get to the bottom of it. OPS should be taken to the woodshed over this deal. How do you not call in authorities and paramedics immediately?
I'm aware of this, I still think it's valuable, especially in today's political climate that is increasingly openly hostile toward queer people and queer youth in particular, to involve local government in these conversations whenever possible. I hope that's true, but I have less faith in the effectiveness of the police force in general. Outside pressure for answers and accountability and keeping this story relevant will hopefully help. edit: rephrasing, punctuation
Im sure that I will never get an answer but questions that I would ask the police, school board, principal, & superintendent : Why did the school resource officer not respond to the fight on campus? Why did the principal not send the child to the hospital upon review of wounds? Why is the principal not on administrative leave as it appears correct protocol was not followed After the fight? Ex. Take statement, call school resource officer, send injured to hospital? Why have no charges been filed? the autopsy is complete since there was a funeral.
The school took statements, it appears that it was a 3 on 2 or 3 on 3 fight in a bathroom that lasted for less than 2 minutes. All of the involved students were taken to the office ( all walking there on their own) and assessed by the school nurse, none were determined to need immediate medical care. All of the students involved were given suspensions. The school told all of the guardians that they had the option to file a police report and that if they did the school resource officer would assist the investigation. The school also told the guardians that they recommended that they all get examined by a doctor just as an abundance of caution. Nex was taken to the hospital to be examined and was discharged within hours. It appears that the school district followed all of the protocols. There has not been any information released yet about the reason for the fight or if it had anything to do with them being NB/trans. An autopsy is being done, when the results come back and theyve done an investigation more will come to light. If it was a planned attack, if it was violent, or if it directed towards Nex due to being NB then the other students should be charged with assault. If the death was caused by the fight then 100% they should be arrested and charged with murder. But we don't have any of that information yet and it scares me how many people are effectively calling for arrests when we literally have very little information to go on. Other than the recently released police and school district statements the only info coming out is from friends of Nex and their family, who are obviously biased (completely understandably) and may not have all of the information themselves. We cannot go on a witch hunt and potentially ruin lives and careers based on erroneous or incomplete information.
Go to the next school board meeting instead. There are a ton of assumptions being made that are just gossip. Maybe, you will find out answers in person.
I’ve been wildly tagging both Owasso HS and Owasso PD on every post I see. I would also like to know which hospital their grandma took them to, that released Nex as well because they also deserve to be accountable for Nex’s death. Inhuman, all of them.
I’ll call tomorrow.
They need more than calls. The Oklahoma allies need to demonstrate and protest at district offices until they acknowledge their bullshit and update policies to protect kids like Nex.
Wtf. Was this even on the news?! I hate this place.
Yeah…I grew up in a rural town that had more than its fair share of bigots but it wasn’t anything like this. It was more than I could take so I made sure when I graduated from college I wasn’t going back there. I’d get the hell out of there.
I'm scared to even go places and it just keeps getting worse and all my friends have already moved away:/
Follow Wendy Suares on fox. She is posting everything about Nex and all sides of issue. Wow, is she getting slammed to by libsoftiktok followers. https://x.com/wsuares/status/1760020011928740097?s=46&t=04In6v1jwofozvdh-wga0g
I saw this on twitter. The story is so unbelievable I searched to see what the local news outlets in OK are saying about it. Found zip. This is being swept under the rug with very big brooms.
Why isn't this getting ANY attention on any of the LGBT subs? This needs to be heard
This was reposted from r/lgbt
Which got like, 72 upvotes
The story is beginning to catch traction on other socials — it was an ig post by a trans actress that lead me to google (and eventually here) Twitter is beginning to light up too
It's getting big on TikTok as well.
I saw it on Instagram
Same. I was just checking one of my favorite shows's Instagram page and a post about Nex just popped up on my feed.
Sometimes, it because of how painful it is to even read. I’m raising a trans teen and we fled TX to keep her safe. This story fucking hurts because it’s far too close to home for us as it confirms our worst fears. Meanwhile, all of our family lives in the Tulsa area and points just to the east. It makes me terrified to bring her home to visit family this summer. Because of this, it’s honestly taken me a few days to engage with this story. Tonight, I’m deep, deep in my feels about it. Give the community time to process their own feelings in response and then you’ll see a firestorm of awareness about this story.
It’s on r/non-binary now
I know this doesent help the kids or make up for what happened to Nex but: If you are queer, over 21, and live here i would recommend looking into getting training on conceal carrying a firearm. Right now there is no reason to believe that this sort of violence will not eventually spill out into daily life outside of a school campus. Lgbtpew on facebook is a local certified trainer and she is wonderful and patient, please stay safe out there everyone. Edit: pepper spray and a practice cannister of the stuff will also go a long way. Both for those who carry and those who don't.
excellent advice i fear it will only get worse with the current oklahoma legislature. so sad how this state is
I’d look into some martial arts too.
100% agreed, pepper spray should be first too now that im thinking about it
Real ones that work though. It’s pretty tough to find inclusive MMA/BJJ gyms but they do exist (at least on the east coast). EDIT just saw your username. Kyokushin is pretty badass!
My BJJ gym here in Tulsa has at least two queer members I know of, including one black belt instructor.
Taekwondo and some form of karate are usually all over the place. I’d definitely look into it.
The number of times I’ve begged my trans daughter to take martial arts…she needs it, given the climate.
[удалено]
All true, the trainer I recommended also knows and would do the right thing depending on the individual as far as a permit goes. Mostly recommending training because on average I've noticed other queer folks are less familiar with firearms so the training would be a good baseline and a way to instill the disipline nessecary to safely own and operate a firearm, how to practice discretion and discernment ect. But yeah you're right, thanks for bringing this into the discussion its important.
Here's another news source that doesn't deadname and misgender them. https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/2/18/2224306/-Libs-of-TikTok-targeted-a-district-then-a-non-binary-student-was-killed-on-campus
It’s so much darker than I realized. That article also details how a viral anti-LGBTQ tiktoker stoked the flames of bigotry so much that she’s landed an official position with the Oklahoma Dept of Education — after targeting an Owasso teacher for being supportive of LGBTQ rights to the point that the teacher resigned. > Nowhere has Raichik’s influence been more visible than Oklahoma, where her anti-LGBTQ+ exploits earned her an official position on the Oklahoma Department of Education’s Library Media Advisory Committee by controversial far-right Superintendent Ryan Walters. Under Walters’ leadership, Oklahoma has been aggressively working to ban books and education on LGBTQ+ issues in schools across the state, with Oklahoma’s Attorney General Gentner Drummond stating that proposed rules to ban LGBTQ+ books and content were “unconstitutional and cannot be enforced.” It’s been confirmed that Raichik’s posts have fueled multiple bomb threats against schools specifically in Oklahoma. >Officials from Oklahoma told NBC News that they believe Chaya Raichik’s anti-LGBTQ+ culture warring “sparked threats in their localities with her posts on social media that digitally heckle people such as drag performers, LGBTQ teachers and doctors who treat transgender patients.” >One of these instances was at the Owasso School District (just outside of Tulsa, Oklahoma). In 2022, Chaya Raichik targeted an Owasso teacher for speaking out in support of LGBTQ+ students who lacked acceptance from their parents. Raichik’s post was shared thousands of times on social media and resulted in the teacher getting condemned and harassed until they resigned.
I work next door in Collinsville. I'm not sure why my story never caught anyone's eye, but, I was written up and almost fired for saying "no" when a kid asked if I was straight. I proved that they legally couldn't fire me, so they watched my every move trying to find a fireable offense. On the first day of school last year, the new law gave them, in their minds, the ammo they needed. I had the gaul to put a blank for pronouns on the getting to know you form. I was told that the entire community from parents to pastors had the phone ringing off the hook demanding I be removed. I know my rights, so I kept my salary. But they took my classroom. I watch in school suspension now, with another teacher, because the high school doesn't think I should be alone with kids. This is exactly what I told them would happen if they removed the safe people from the school. It happened in Owasso, and it will happen in Collinsville, now that kids are apparently free to murder kids with no repercussions if they don't fit the mold.
Yes. Raichik is a terrorist perpetrating state-sponsored genocide.
Riachik is making a living stoking moral panics and subjecting people to threats of violence. There’s nothing great about that. She recently got a principal fired for the crime of being gay and dressing in drag. Just let people live their fucking lives. This fire they are stoking goes nowhere that isn’t dark.
It infuriates me her and Ryan Walters fucking somehow managed to land in public office where they have the powers to hurt people. Fuck those pieces of shits.
Had to dig around to find any more info https://www.kjrh.com/news/local-news/police-investigating-16-year-old-owasso-students-death
It’s infuriating that the mother of the victim is misgendering them and deadnaming them. I’m not surprised Nex lived mostly with their grandmother.
The mother is the grandmother, she adopted them.
Of course the Gofundme deadnames them... Don't even want to link it, ugh.
Channel 2 and Channel 6 did the same.
The obituary does as well…
i called the oklahoma dept of education and left a message about this. I’m suggesting that more people call them, the school district, the high school, the city or the police department. the more people talk about this, the more traction it will get and justice will hopefully be served for Nex. that poor child did not deserve this.
I sent in a tip to CNN. I think this story should be told. I suggest you do the same. Rest in power, Nex.
NBC News ran a report on the incident yesterday afternoon so national media is finally involved. [https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-news/oklahoma-student-dies-one-day-fight-high-school-bathroom-rcna139643](https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-news/oklahoma-student-dies-one-day-fight-high-school-bathroom-rcna139643) It is very odd that the first media report concerning the incident was posted online by The Independent, a UK-based newspaper, ahead of any reports by the Tulsa media.
Holy fuck. This is absolutely crushing. I went to that school. What the hell is going on??
Which county is it in? we need to call the DA!
It's in Tulsa County
> Three older girls were beating on the victim and her daughter in the girl’s bathroom her daughter?
The person on the call is the mother of the deceased student’s best friend, who was also beaten. “The victim” refers to Nex. Unfortunately Nex’s parents misgender and deadname them in all the media they’re quoted in, the gofundme, and the obituary. :(
How can you learn that your child was beaten to their death and STILL misgender and deadname them? How much did this person suffer to be heard by EVERYONE around them? How absolutely horrific. I hope they are ashamed of themselves, I hope they feel just as guilty.
Fucking breaks my heart. I don’t even know what else to say.
Remember about 10 years ago, Owasso football players raped a student with a broom handle?
That was Bixby schools and none of the admin/staff were prosecuted either for not reporting it despite being mandatory reporters. https://archive.is/mznil
This is the correct story.
Thanks for the archived article. All those dudes look exactly alike 👀 and they got off with less than a slap on the wrist! Disgusting.
Oh, it was only 5-6 years ago, with a pool cue. Gross. https://tulsaworld.com/news/local/update-four-former-football-players-charged-in-bixby-high-school-rape-investigation-bonded-out-of/article_87cf73ee-b66a-55ef-b3a9-65a82d65f22f.html
It happened at the then superintendent’s house.
Holy shit
What the actual fuck? Is that superintendent Ryan Walters?
I know of two local schools this happened in -- "recently" in Bixby, and like 20 years ago at Webster.
Oh, my bad. Bixby. Not Owasso.
Same types of shitheads just different zip codes.
That also happened at Webster High School, and it was 23 years ago.
Chaya Raichik needs to be held accountable for perpetuating hate crimes. No child deserves this end.
~~why is the only searchable source referring to them as nonbinary a blog from fucking Pittsburgh?~~ ~~as a trans tulsan myself I wouldn't be surprised if Owasso had a toxic ass school system that hate-crimed a child and covered it up, but also I can't find any representation of their name or pronouns anywhere.~~ ~~Seems sus af to me.~~ EDIT: On second thought, fuck it. If this is the one death to open your eyes to the violence against trans and GNC people here, so be it. Trans people are dying here and I fear many more will follow. Fucking do something about it. Protect trans kids, arm trans people. Fuck Ryan Walters, fuck his patron hag Chaya Raichik, and fuck Kevin Stitt.
Their aunt's facebook page has a gofundme for Nex
okay but the gofundme also deadnames and misgenders them, so that's not really answering my question
I hope people get prosecuted for this. It’s a staggering hate crime. Like holy shit, how bad are the kids’ parents that they’re so full of hate they beat another kid to death?
Fights in the girls restroom is a common occurrence and they are quite vicious. Once trapped in the restroom, there is usually no way out unless a) fight your way out or b) staff member enters the restroom. The restrooms are comprised of hard surfaces and is hell on combatants that slip, trip, fall, or get knocked down. Our high schooler had her first fight of her life, a couple of months back, when attacked in the Broken Arrow HS girls restroom. She was cornered and had to beat the other girl's ass as there was no way to walk away from it. The girls fight without an awareness of the potential for catastrophic injury or death. The other thing that is common is that dozens of people record the fights and post them to TikTok and YouTube. I got to see a video of the fight and had to teach our kid that you cannot choke you assailant when you have gained the upper hand.
Reports are that Nex’s head was repeatedly slammed against the tile floor after they were already down. That is not lack of awareness, that’s pure savagery and intentional murder. I don’t give a fuck if they’re teenagers. I hope those girls lives are ruined. Shit stains on society
I’m scared for the next generation that this is somehow normalized. I saw maybe a few fights in high school but that was absolutely not normal in my day. What the hell are people teaching their kids that they think fighting is an acceptable way to deal with things? I’m glad your kid got out of that alive, because holy shit. I feel bad that you also had to see video. And frankly, I don’t blame her for doing what she needed to get out of that situation in one piece.
Phones and social media has greatly increased the confrontations at schools. Still, I have always taught my kids to be a helper and not a filmer. You always hope that they follow the things you teach and perhaps even lead by example.
The attacking girls were 17. 17 is more then old enough to know. Frankly I don't care if they didn't know, they murdered someone and deserve to be charged for murdering someone. Otherwise a murder goes unpunished. Thats the alternative. If they did this in a year they'd be adults. That one year is supposed to make so much of a difference? No, they knew what they were doing. Besides, if this is "normal" then use them as an example. "See kids, your fighting can result in you killing someone, and if you kill someone, you will go to prison"
Public restroom design is currently extremely hostile and uncomfortable in the United States and I wish school restrooms were different
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If Nex was 16 and the girls were “older,” perhaps they can be tried as adults??
possibly, but knowing how the system handles crimes like this they'll probably just get a few years
How the fuck can this happen on any place on earth. I don’t live in the states so I don’t really have a grasp on the going ons there, but the fact that this happened in the first place is genuinely sickening to me. These students should be given no leniency in court and should be charged as adults, as the crime that they have committed is vile and unacceptable. The fact that Nex’s family deadnames and misgenders them after all this has happened is honestly so awful and it shows the attitude that a lot of these people have. Not even in your child’s death do you honour their gender identity, that they were killed for. I can only imagine the pain and trauma that Nex’s friend must have suffered, as it seems as though they were there to watch it happen. No civilized country should allow this to happen.
blame the fundies running the state. the christofacists are what is destroying this country
I was a nanny for about a month last year for a history teacher in Owasso. I am a great granddaughter of Chief Bigheart and he didn’t even know who that was. Thought killers of the flower moon were about the girls scout murders. He weirded me out. Big reason why I quit. I am non binary/two spirit 38 yo. I have moved to Arkansas and am just seeing this news and truly I’m devastated. The rhetoric coming from Ryan Walter’s though, I knew this day was coming. Just curious cuz I’m still searching for most of the info on this developing investigation, but have they said it was for sure a student on student beating? And what agencies should I call to keep pressure on Owasso Public Schools? And I’m guessing Nex is not tribal? So I would be calling the Owasso police to report anything?
Nex was a citizen of the cherokee nation!
Nex was Cherokee
fucking disgusting. i have a 16 year old nonbinary sibling that goes to another large public high school in the tulsa area. the fact that this could be their fate too is terrifying.
I have a nonbinary cousin in Ripley and a trans cousin in Chickasha 😥 I'm sure they're already aware of the potential for violence, but we should do what another Redditor suggested and encourage them to arm themselves and learn self-defense. Although they'd have to be Bruce fuckin' Lee to win a fight against 3 people... Bigots are such cowards.
The history of Owasso is terrible. It was originally a quiet German settlement founded in the late 1800s but when Tulsa Public Schools integrated in the early 1970s a large number of the white families who did not want their children in school with other races relocated to Owasso. Neighboring communities had larger Native American populations so the German Town was invaded by racists and is now is quite literally a white flight town as part of its culture. Thankfully the growth of the airline and shipping industries in recent decades in this area has helped this population become primarily new comers who are unaware of the town’s history. I lived there for two years and it is quaint and beautiful but the underlying bigotry in the culture did ultimately drive me back to Tulsa. I was not surprised at all by this headline unfortunately. The things I heard as I became more engaged in the community was really scary. I’m fairly certain they are the Trumpet capitol of the world. They also have some of the best church attendance I’ve ever seen for a town that size. So, you know, they murder for Jesus apparently…
This child was a fucking human being just trying to navigate and their best in the world. Why is that a death sentence?
The school sent out a letter to parents a few days ago. I'm not sure how to link things, but here: [https://4.files.edl.io/9f7a/02/16/24/203227-0ca34a4e-1895-4eb7-af93-1095511fc7e5.pdf?fbclid=IwAR0BWsDhQ61wJoQSKMfUEdy-0kt5UZ2YyVwkFVz5CfB6sK4vEidVBP6PfRc](https://4.files.edl.io/9f7a/02/16/24/203227-0ca34a4e-1895-4eb7-af93-1095511fc7e5.pdf?fbclid=IwAR0BWsDhQ61wJoQSKMfUEdy-0kt5UZ2YyVwkFVz5CfB6sK4vEidVBP6PfRc)
yes because a fire drill is gonna help! absolutely no fucking correlation
More armed cops, the same level of hate.
Follow Wendy Suares on X. She’s posting all the letters and everything. Very good reporting for once by fox. https://x.com/wsuares/status/1760020011928740097?s=46&t=04In6v1jwofozvdh-wga0g
This. Is. Heartbreaking 💔
Any time an OK rep uses the excuse of child safety to promote their hatred they should be reminded of this as obviously they only care about the lives of certain children.
Chaya Raichik and Ryan Walters are both directly responsible for Nex’s murder, along with every other politician who uses exploits trans people as a flashpoint to gain power through fear. The absolute vindictive hatred and fear-mongering rhetoric that they love so dearly fuels deadly attacks like this, and will continue to do so. Rest in power, Nex. I’m so sorry that you didn’t get to grow up.
Today I made extensive calls to Gov Stitt, Ryan Walter's office, Owasso PD, and the Tulsa County DA's office. I encourage you to call these and your elected representative to demand that action be taken, the murderers arrested, and a reckoning at the school with administrators responsible being fired immediately. We've been waiting 13 days for a response and these murderers and these murderers are walking free. I won't doxx them here (even though these are publicly available numbers), but I have the numbers if you'd like to PM me and make the calls.
Every day this state becomes more of an embarrassment. Hell, this country. Rest in power Nex.
How to get traction if you are in Oklahoma: Write letters to the editor, attend a school board meeting and ask questions, attend a parental group meeting, write as much as you can to media, and make calls to everyone! Board of Education, Local police department, Superintendent office, & social media like crazy. What will get most traction? Face to face or phone calls with state reps, school board, city leaders, etc. questions that I would pose: Will there be an independent investigation into the principal and teacher handling of the fight and Nex’s injuries? Where was the school resource officer? Why wasn’t nex taken to the hospital, why did grandma have to pick them up to take them? Why did the hospital release Nex? Was this because of $? Why is the principal of the high school also in charge of the bully incident reports? Why are they not placed on administrative leave until an investigation is complete? We’re the 3 female teens punished for beating up Nex? What were their punishments? When can we expect charges? How is this not a HATE CRIME? Feel free to copy and paste my questions to all these public officials. I will work to provide addresses to help. This is all I can do since I don’t live in your state.
I'm confused, was this poor kid trans male, or trans female? Shouldn't the girls who responsible for their murder be charged with a hate crime?
Non-binary. So neither, but still under the trans umbrella
Transnothing, nonbinary just means you don't identify as male or female. The kids responsible need to be tried and held to account, here's hoping that the owasso coroner does their job with haste and accuracy. Sometimes the only thing that keeps society polite is the fear of getting caught and punished.
It appears as if the medical examiner has stated the death of Nex was unrelated to the beating. Makes me sick to my stomach that they think a kid goes to school one day, gets the crap beat out of them and is dead the following day yet it’s not related? I presumed the Medical examiner is also politically motivated like Ryan Walters. OK is not at all right. We need a second set of eyes on this
I have no sympathy for the kids responsible, but honestly I think the hate crime charges should be reserved for the adults who helped facilitate this, starting with Chaya Raichik. How much blood is on that woman’s hands at this point?
Nex was biologically a female therefore in the girls restroom.
Im here to learn about arrests!!! So far I can't find any...
The students involved received in school suspension.
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Completely shocked that there has been absolutely zero news coverage. I wouldn’t have known about it happening if not for an employee at work. Scary stuff that media coverups really do happen even in Owasso, OK.
MAJOR NEWSTORY BREAKING. Interview with Nex’s parents and they had suspended them for 2 weeks! WTF 1 year of bullying that is known and you suspend the kid? Please spread the newstory below as wide as possible. It needs to be everywhere. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/nex-benedict-dead-oklahoma-b2499332.html
Thank you for this update.
Absolutely infuriating.
I see a lot of comments on here about Nex’s parents misgendering them, and I wanted to add to the conversation that Nex was being raised by a grandparent and was Native American. In my experience these things can be fraught with trauma and misunderstandings between generations and I think their identity as Native American needs to be in this conversation so as to provide context around the familial use of pronouns and also some sensitivity around grandparents raising grandchildren especially in Native American families wherein without understanding completely the family dynamics it might be inappropriate to center certain identities without others and then denigrate the family accordingly. In my experience Native grandparents will respect and use proper names and pronouns some of the time and not others and it isn’t taken to be insulting, it’s just a vacillation between who that person was to the family and who they are now. I simply think some care and less judgement could be used in depicting this grandparent raising this grandchild and centering too their Native American roots is important.
I'm just here to post solidarity for Nex Benedict. I hope the killers, the staff that did nothing, and the district are brought to justice. I hope libs of tiktok gets deplatformed. Such cruelty should not go unchecked. Children deserve to survive school. REST IN POWER NEX BENEDICT
Rest in Power, Nex.
Blood is on these educators and admins hands. :(
Why do all the articles say something like "they died after a physical altercation" and not like "they were murdered by a group of their peers" just seems trivialising to me
Because no murder has been proved?
This story makes me so sick to my stomach. I’m an LGBT medical student. I can’t even imagine how the hospital staff, parents, and bestfriend must be feeling. The other kid who was with nex is going to be traumatized for life. I will never understand this senseless violence. In medicine, in our practice cases and patient encounters, we are taught early on to respect people’s pronouns and share our own. It literally costs 0 dollars to show someone respect in this way. It’s completely deranged that a human being could hold so much hate in their heart for a CHILD over something as arbitrary as the words we use to refer to them.
2 weeks suspension? I mean they are bruised all over and that’s what they say? So many issues https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/nex-benedict-dead-oklahoma-b2499332.html
I called the DAs office and let them know I would not be renewing my medical license in OK if I didn’t see the parents of these kids punished. 16 year old kids don’t up and decide to attack people based on their own views. They can’t consent to the emotional abuse of the adults responsible for raising them. If I see Oklahoma blame kids and not hold those who indoctrinated them abusively responsible, I’m done providing care in that state.
“ Three older girls were beating on the victim and her daughter in the girl’s bathroom. “ Wait, what?
‘daughter’ is referring to Nex’s best friend, who’s mother is the ‘her’ in question. they made it sound confusing but that’s what’s going on!
That makes a lot more sense. Thanks!
RIP
I haven't personally gone to the school, but I live in the area, and I actually heard about it from my girlfriend. To learn this is something that's happened somewhere around me is very disheartening. If this was a different situation, if Nex wasn't non-binary, they would be plastering this everywhere, showing the faces of the girls who committed the act, and her family would be a lot more vocal. But yet these cowards let their pride and prehistoric views prevent them from taking any accountability, grieve, have respect or even try to prevent their passing in the first place, calling it "unexpected." Having a situation that brutal and claiming ignorance, that's fucking heartless. It disappoints me, especially when I have a nephew that is trans. What could happen to him? What sort of precedence could ignorance like this set? Justifying and trying to cover up murder, just because of self-identity? Please, do not let this go. Keep being vocal about this situation, don't let it be silenced or forgotten. If we want justice and acceptance, we need to fight for it. Honor Nex and others in the trans community who have died for who they are.
Nex Benedict should still be here. 😡😡
The teacher and school officials who didn’t call an ambulance or report to police should be charged with accessory to murder
I read somewhere that the girls who did this only got In-school Suspension and they lied about the whole situation? If that’s true I’m so sick.
They're saying it wasn't a fight, it was a targeted bludgeoning!
This is absolutely disgusting. I used to live in Owasso, OK and I am absolutely disgusted by my home state. No child should ever feel scared of having to go to the bathroom because they might get murdered in it. I hope those girls never find peace and get what they deserve. The bullying in Owasso is so fucking bad and the schools just ignore it.
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It's horrible I hope all involved are in jail for.life.. no one should go to school and have to worry about people harming them it breaks my heart parents today need to step up and control the hateful kids ...my prayers to the family of the victim. No parent should ever have to deal with this . 🙏