[1]LeftNet
Dear John,
On February 7, after a year of being bullied, Nex Benedict, a 16-year-old
Choctaw Indigenous gender-fluid teen in Oklahoma, was brutally assaulted
in a bathroom by their classmates and died the next day.^1,2 Nex had
bruises all over their face and eyes, scratches on the back of their head,
and severe head injuries, but school officials didn't even call an
ambulance or medical help.^3 It's completely unacceptable. Nex should be
alive today.
[ [link removed] ]Will you join Nex's family and loved ones' demands for an investigation
and for those responsible for Nex's death to be held accountable and sign
the petition NOW?
Sue Benedict, Nex's grandmother said, "I was so proud of Nex. They were
going some place, they were so free. Nex had a light in them that was so
big, they had so many dreams. I want their light to keep shining for
everyone. That light was so big and bright and beautiful, and I want
everyone to remember Nex that way."^4
Nex will never get to draw, read, play video games, or play with his cat
Zeus (all things he loved to do) ever again. Ms. Benedict will never get
to hold her grandchild again.
[ [link removed] ]We can't and won't let Nex's family's call for an investigation go
unanswered. Click here to sign the petition to demand those responsible
for Nex's death be held accountable NOW.
Sign the Petition
Nex was taken from this world entirely too soon, and their death is
reverberating in young LGBTQ+ communities across Oklahoma and across the
country. A hotline run by Rainbow Youth Project USA received 237 calls
from Oklahoma youth over the weekend, nearly three times what it logs in
an average week.^5 The LGBTQ+ community deserves more. LGBTQ+ youth
deserve more.
[ [link removed] ]We cannot become numb to this cruelty and violence that is fueled by
Republicans' hateful, transphobic, and homophobic legislation. Will you
sign the petition to demand justice for Nex?
Nex had been bullied for months after Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt made
it mandatory by law for Oklahoma public school students to use only
bathrooms that match their sex assigned at birth. Gov. Stitt and
Superintendent Walters recently appointed Chaya Raichik—a right-wing
activist known for targeting LGBTQ+ teachers—to the Library Media Advisory
Committee of the state Department of Education, even after she targeted
Nex's school district in 2022, coming after a teacher who voiced their
support for their LGBTQ+ students, which resulted in the resignation of
that educator.^6
Elected officials hold so much power in their words, actions, and
legislation—and they must be held responsible when they neglect their
constituents and encourage and allow violence. Hateful, transphobic, and
homophobic rhetoric and legislation have devastating consequences. Nex is
gone, but we can't let that be the end.
[ [link removed] ]Those responsible must be held to account. We need an investigation.
Click here to sign the petition.
Every year that conservatives throw temper tantrums about the advancement
of civil rights, the quality of life for LGBTQ+ people, particularly trans
and nonbinary people, deteriorates across the U.S. We must hold elected
officials and Republicans accountable for their transphobic, homophobic,
and violent rhetoric.
School officials completely and totally failed Nex, and now Nex is gone.
Pure, unadulterated hatred has taken them from their family.
[ [link removed] ]Will you sign the petition to echo their demands for an investigation
and for those responsible to be held accountable?
This is state-sanctioned violence in the form of legislation and moral
conservative outrage that's meant to intimidate and eradicate the LGBTQ+
community. Gov. Stitt's bathroom bill put a target on trans and nonbinary
children's backs, and the blame for Nex's death lies not just with the
girls who brutally assaulted him, not just with the school officials for
their inaction, but also with Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, State
Superintendent Ryan Walters, and Chaya Raichik, and they must be held
accountable.
LGBTQ+ and gender diverse students deserve to learn without fear of
bullying, harassment, or violence.
[ [link removed] ]Click here to sign the petition if you agree, and then pass it along to
three friends to spread the word.
Thanks for all you do.
–MoveOn
Sources:
1. "The death of an Oklahoma teen after a fight in school has LGBTQ+
advocates seeking answers," CNN, February 21, 2024
[ [link removed] ][link removed]
2. "LGBTQ+ Leaders Call For DOJ To Investigate Nex's Death," Erin In The
Morning, February 22, 2024
[ [link removed] ][link removed]
3. "Nex Benedict: Non-binary student who died after Oklahoma bathroom
assault was a 'shining light'," Independent, February 22, 2024
[ [link removed] ][link removed]
4. Ibid.
5. "Crisis calls from the 2SLGBTQ+ youth community triple within 72
hours," KTUL, February 20, 2024
[ [link removed] ][link removed]
6. "Top GOP School Official Appoints Woman Behind 'Libs Of TikTok' To Key
Position," Huffington Post, January 23, 2024
[ [link removed] ][link removed]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
PAID FOR BY MOVEON.ORG POLITICAL ACTION
[link removed]
Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.
You can unsubscribe from this mailing list at any time:
[link removed]
