Nex Benedict died one day after a fight in a school bathroom. Their mother Sue Benedict tells Bevan Hurley that the gender fluid teenager endured more than a year of abuse simply for being who they were
Ancient Roman Conservatives (Optimates, cause of course) "Look when you lift their skirts, you find a Populare (Democrat). We need to bring back traditional values!"
Since the days of yore, always about traditional fucking values.
A few weeks ago, on 7 February, the bullying allegedly erupted in violence when Nex suffered severe head injuries during a “physical altercation” at Owasso High School, according to the Owasso Police Department.
Sue Benedict told The Independent she was called to the school that day to find Nex badly beaten with bruises over their face and eyes, and with scratches on the back of their head.
Nex told her that they and another transgender student at Owasso High School had been in a fight with three older girls in a girls bathroom. Nex was knocked to the ground during the fight and hit their head on the floor, according to their mother.
Ms Benedict said she was furious that the school had failed to call an ambulance or the police. She said the school then informed her Nex was being suspended for two weeks.
She took Nex to the Bailey Medical Center in Owasso for treatment. They spoke to a police school resource officer at the medical facility and were discharged.
That night, Nex went to bed with a sore head and eventually fell asleep while listening to music, Ms Benedict said.
On the afternoon of 8 February, Nex was getting ready to go to Tulsa with Ms Benedict for an appointment when they collapsed in the family living room.
Ms Benedict called an ambulance, and Owasso Fire Department medics arrived to find Nex had stopped breathing. Nex was taken to the St. Francis Pediatric Emergency Room where they were later declared dead.
This child's blood is on their hands. Not just the kids who did the physical beating, but also the conservatives who set up a culture where this is acceptable.
Try to join the rest of us in reality when you can.
This child’s blood is on their hands. Not just the kids who did the physical beating, but also the conservatives who set up a culture where this is acceptable.
Try to join the rest of us in reality when you can.
Well, if Nex's sexual identity indeed was the reason they are dead, and all this had taken place, say, 20 years ago, nobody would've died because nobody would've asserted their sexual identity in public.
Should children have the privilege of asserting their sexual identity in public? I guess so. Does it sometimes have consequences? Bad as it is, yes. You may very well argue that something is wrong that when it has consequences, but that argument doesn't yet remove the consequences.
So I think it is not me who's not in sync with reality here.
e: gender identity in this case, not sexual identity
Well, if Nex’s sexual identity indeed was the reason they are dead, and all this had taken place, say, 20 years ago, nobody would’ve died because nobody would’ve asserted their sexual identity in public.
Not only is that not true, people have been coming out since humans existed, it's also wrong. You're confusing sexual identity with gender identity.
Regardless, all you are doing is victim blaming. Nobody should get beaten to death for how they express themselves. This is supposed to be the land of the free, not the land of the beatings for people society deems weird.
You may very well argue that something is wrong that when it has consequences, but that argument doesn’t yet remove the consequences.
The consequences for self expression should not be death, much less vigilante beatings that result in death. And your appathy is frankly disgusting, and a part of the problem.
Well, if Nex’s sexual identity indeed was the reason they are dead, and all this had taken place, say, 20 years ago, nobody would’ve died because nobody would’ve asserted their sexual identity in public.
Instead of someone being beaten to death because of their gender identity, they would beat someone to death because they are gay, or suspected of being gay.
History rhymes.
Yes we should encourage a culture where those who freely express themselves are not celebrated. Everyone should keep their heads down and do what society wants. No one is special. /s
You must be real fun to talk to. What if instead of expressing gender identity, it was expressing Christianity or political alignments that resulted in this?
I'm not American and I'm not LGBTQI+. I'm just a person who believes in basic human rights and wants people to care for each other. But apparently I'm out of sync with reality
Well, if Nex’s sexual identity indeed was the reason they are dead, and all this had taken place, say, 20 years ago, nobody would’ve died because nobody would’ve asserted their sexual identity in public.
Ah, yes, I remember 20 years ago, where no one asserted their sexual identity, neither cis heterosexual men nor cis heterosexual women did hold hands nor did kiss their partners nor did host large feasts to celebrate their marriages, where neither the groom nor the bride wore specific clothes socially assigned to their gender. No one did this and you could certainly never see it, anywhere.
Listen, I'm a cis straight guy, I just want everyone to enjoy the same freedoms and respect, and some assholes are really keen on not letting some specific people have them.
So true. There must be no forgiveness, no tolerance, no acceptance. Conservatives must be purged from this planet. This is the ONLY way forward, if we want a society that is good for everybody.