Oklahoma
Prosecutors do not file charges after death of non-binary teenager
Protests after the death of Nex Benedict in New York
© Cristina Matuozzi / Picture Alliance
Non-binary person Nex Benedict from Oklahoma took her own life in early February after an argument with classmates and prolonged bullying. The public prosecutor sees no evidence of a crime and speaks of a “fair fight”.
The death of non-binary U.S. teenager Nex Benedict Oklahoma drew widespread worldwide sympathy in early February. Benedict took his own life one day after a fight with three classmates and another non-binary person in the girls’ toilet.
The public prosecutor’s office has now decided not to press charges and speaks of a “fair fight”. District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler called Nex Benedict’s death a “tragedy” but does not see any crime. A coroner classified the death as a suicide a week ago.
Police officer advised Nex Benedict against filing criminal charges
Nex Benedict identified as non-binary, meaning neither male nor female. According to friends and family members, Nex had been a victim of bullying at school for a long time. In a police bodycam video, which is available to the New York Times, Nex reports on the altercation. Nex threw water on the attackers after they made fun of Nex. The three girls then attacked Nex. The police officer in the video advised Nex and his grandmother against pressing charges because Nex started the argument by throwing an object.
The coroner’s autopsy report determined that Nex Benedict died of a drug overdose. The cause of death was determined to be suicide.
ACLU: Death results from ‘discriminatory legislation’ in Oklahoma
Oklahoma has extremely restrictive policies regarding the rights of non-binary people and the entire LGBTQ+ community. For two years now, students have only been allowed to use the toilets that correspond to their gender according to their birth certificate. Unisex toilets are also not allowed.
The civil rights organization ACLU called Nex Benedict’s death an “inevitable consequence of hateful rhetoric and discriminatory legislation targeting trans youth.” US President Joe Biden expressed his condolences in a statement last week. Nex Benedict is “a child who just wanted to be accepted and should still be with us today.”
The chairman of the Oklahoma school board, Ryan Walter, said when asked by the New York Times that the death of Nex Benedict was a tragedy. But this doesn’t change his opinion about trans people. Students will also not be able to use a unisex toilet in the future. They may also use non-preferred names and pronouns that do not correspond to their birth certificate.
Sources: “Mirror“, “New York Times“, ACLU