APNex Benedict in december
NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 12:38
Vigils have been held in the United States following the death of a non-binary teenager in Oklahoma. Nex Benedict died more than two weeks ago, a day after he was attacked by three fellow students in the toilets of a high school. LGBTI organizations want to use the vigils to draw attention to violence and bullying.
Police in the US released images yesterday showing the 16-year-old teenager lying in a hospital bed after the fight. Nex tells an officer that he has been bullied by students for some time because of his clothing. The teenager threw water on one of them, after which Nex was attacked and said he blacked out for a short time. That evening, Nex was taken to the hospital by family for a check-up.
That same evening, Nex was released from the hospital, but the next day his mother was forced to call 911. Her child had abnormal breathing and his eyes rolled back. Nex subsequently died in hospital.
Research is still ongoing
According to the police, an initial investigation shows that the death was not a direct result of the violence during the fight, but further investigation results are still awaited.
Vigils have been held in Boston, Minneapolis and Huntington Beach, with more planned in states including New York, New Jersey and Texas. At the teenager’s high school, students plan to walk out of school together tomorrow in protest.
“Hundreds of people in attendance in Oklahoma City,” writes one attendee on X. “Nex Benedict should still be alive”:
“It’s very difficult to be LGBT in Oklahoma these days,” said one attendee at a vigil in the late teen’s home state. The speaker pointed out that suicidal thoughts occur regularly. “But this only makes us continue to fight.”
Relatives of Nex are calling on the school and authorities to thoroughly investigate the case and hold any perpetrators accountable. “The Benedict family knows all too well the devastating effects of bullying, and we pray for a time when bullying is taken seriously and no family will have to deal with this tragedy again.”
Vice President Kamala Harris also responded. “To all the LGBTI youth who are afraid right now: President Joe Biden and I see you, we stand with you and you are not alone,” she wrote. X.
2024-02-25 11:38:39
#Nonbinary #teen #dies #school #fight #wakes
