A 16-year-old in Owasso, Oklahoma, died after being beaten by three classmates in a public school bathroom.

No matter the context, this is a devastating reality — a reality that should not exist but is real for many LGBT teens across the country.

Nex Benedict, a nonbinary teen who used they/them pronouns, was in an altercation with three classmates in the school bathroom; a day later on Feb. 8, Nex died after collapsing on the floor of their family’s living room and being rushed to the hospital.

In a video released by the Owasso police, Nex is in the hospital bed describing what happened during the fight that occurred Feb. 7.

Nex had walked into the bathroom after a group of girls — girls who had bullied Nex over the school year for how they dressed and their gender identity.

Nex said they splashed water on the girls after the girls commented on how Nex laughed, leading to a fight.

Three girls physically overtook Nex, smashing their head into the ground.

It is heartbreaking that these girls felt it was OK to beat a classmate in the school bathroom. What’s even worse is that Owasso Public Schools — as well as other school districts across the nation — are fostering an environment that feeds into prejudice, ultimately leading to unjust violence.

In a phone interview with The Independent, Sue Benedict, mother of Nex Benedict, said Owasso High School not only failed to call the police or the ambulance immediately after the altercation but also suspended Nex for two weeks.

From the information released so far, it is clear that this public school does not care about queer kids.

This type of hatred typically stems from religious ideals — which is ironic because public schools are not supposed to enforce any type of religious beliefs. 

Making national news, this incident has gotten much attention on social media. 

Many people have posted under the tag #justicefornex. 

Most posts argue that the school could have done more to protect Nex. 

Many suggest that it’s no coincidence that this happened after Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt signed an anti-trans bathroom bill in 2022, requiring students to use restrooms aligning with the sex on their birth certificates.

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed a similar bill in March 2023.

The fact that grown adults — people in charge of laws and classrooms — are so concerned with the gender identity of children that they feel the need to restrict even the most mundane aspects of their lives is insane. 

The anti-trans bathroom law should have never passed, and Nex should have never been beaten to a pulp.

In light of the attention given to Nex’s death, the Owasso Police Department released a statement Feb. 21 based on the preliminary results of Nex’s autopsy, saying Nex did not die due to head injuries from the fight. 

The police department said they will no longer comment until the investigation regarding the fight and Nex’s death is complete.

Having no obvious underlying health issues, it seems odd that Nex died the day after being beaten by three girls — but there is supposedly no correlation between the fight and the death. 

The autopsy results have led to the Benedict family conducting their own private investigation. 

While the investigations are still active, there is a lot of discourse about Nex’s death — some of which is very troubling.

It does not matter what or who you believe in — no one should be beaten for their gender identity.

No one should die because of who they are. 

Children deserve to grow up in affirming environments, and public schools should be the main source of that.