Warning: This story contains discussion of suicide and details of physical violence against 2SLGBTQ+ and gender diverse people.
The death of non-binary Oklahoma teen Nex Benedict has become symbolic of the fears expressed by 2SLGBTQ+ people in the U.S. — that hateful rhetoric and restrictive legislation targeting transgender and gender non-conforming people will have tragic consequences.
Nex, who was 16 and of Indigenous heritage, said they had been bullied by other students.
Nex died on Feb. 8, one day after a physical altercation in a high school bathroom. Oklahoma mandates that public school students must use the bathroom that matches the sex on their birth certificates.
The state’s Medical Examiner’s
