As political tensions rise with the likely rematch of Joe Biden and Donald Trump for the presidency, it’s no stretch that the recent increase in anti-LGBTQ rhetoric in schools has impacted the nation’s young people; in fact, as I will explore, it has already claimed a life. 

On February 8th, Oklahoma teenager Nex Benedict, who identified as transgender, died one day after a fight in a school bathroom. 

I was especially interested in Benedict’s case when the news broke; at first, I followed it out of solidarity with another queer teenager. Now I am choosing to cover it because I feel the circumstances that led to his premature death were uniquely embroiled in politics. 

Benedict was being bullied, but it had intensified as Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt passed a bill restricting transgender students to the bathroom of their assigned sex. Two weeks before Benedict’s death, Oklahoma school superintendent Ryan Walters appointed anti-LGBTQ influencer Chaya Raichik to the school board. Previously, Raichik has advocated for the mass firing of gay teachers, alleging they are pedophiles grooming students. Owasso High School teacher Tyler Wrynn, whom Benedict admired, was forced to resign after being targeted by Raichik’s “Libs of TikTok” social media account. I don’t believe it is any stretch to say that the presence of anti-LGBTQ rhetoric in both the state and school, as well as the bullies emboldened by it, contributed to a hostile and damaging environment for students like Benedict. 

This atmosphere was not one of civil or fair opposition to the legislation surrounding transgender students and their accommodations. It was one of open vitriol, framing LGBTQ individuals as being immoral instead of possessing a different outlook. 

The initial details of Benedict’s death as they were reported led to a public outcry; from the limited picture given by the first reports, it appeared that Benedict had died from injuries sustained in an unprovoked attack and wasn’t treated properly due to discriminatory negligence. However, as more information was released, the situation became more nuanced. The facts, as of now, are that Benedict and his friends were inside the bathroom at the same time as a group of other students, who had previously bullied some of Benedict’s friends. When the students began openly making fun of the group, Benedict splashed them with water. A fight then broke out between the students. Benedict went to the hospital later to be examined for any head trauma, as he had hit his head during the fight, and was cleared. The next day, Benedict collapsed and died. When an investigation was launched, the autopsy report confirmed what police had suspected: Benedict had committed suicide. 

I believe this situation exemplifies the worst problem in modern politics: conversations being motivated by pervasive persecution. 

This was especially obvious after Benedict’s death. According to the Oklahoman, Senator Tom Woods was asked about the death and responded that while his “heart goes out to [the] scenario”, he doesn’t “want that filth in Oklahoma”, firmly asserting that people like Nex Benedict were “filth” and didn’t deserve better treatment. According to Woods’ stance, Benedict’s identity, viewed as a ‘threat’ to other students, outweighs any sympathy he may have for a teenager who died of suicide. 

The Oklahoma School board superintendent expressed disbelief in Benedict even being transgender (which was confirmed by his friends at a vigil), saying that he thinks “it’s terrible that we’ve had some radical leftists who decided to run with a political agenda and try to weave a narrative that hasn’t been true”. This cements the idea that Benedict can not be both transgender and mourned. 

Chaya Raichik responded to internet discourse over the role of her content in the death in a Twitter post, saying that “the media lied about this story for weeks, insisting that I was somehow responsible for Nex’s d*ath”, while vaguely alluding to Benedict’s passing as an overdose. Isolating Benedict’s death from their identity allows for voices like Raichik’s to claim that their rhetoric causes no real harm. 

PinkNews reported that Chasten Buttigeieg, husband of US transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg, brought up that Raichik “doesn’t live in the state of Oklahoma and doesn’t even hold a degree in library science or education”, which directly conflicts with her position the school board’s committee regulating library content. Raichik responded, but not to refute these claims; she instead insulted Buttigieg’s husband. 

 As government figures continue to cast aside civility and rely on scare tactics for votes, the deeper we descend into dehumanization of our fellow Americans based on politicized differences.