Oklahoma students stage walkout in protest of Nex Benedict’s death
gaytimes.co.ukOklahoma students staged a walkout to show solidarity with the LGBTQIA+ community following the death of non-binary student Nex Benedict.
Content warning: This story includes topics that could make some readers feel uncomfortable and/or upset. On 26 February, the students stood at an intersection across from Owasso High School and held signs that read “You Are Loved” and “Protect Queer Kids”.
Cassidy Brown, the protest’s organiser and graduate of Owasso, told KTUL that “there is a community here in this city that does exist, and we see them, and they are loved.” Brown continued: “I just want to get the word out and show these kids that we’re here.” “It is our moral and humanitarian obligation to speak up” This follows nationwide vigils that have been held to honour Nex’s memory.
One vigil in New York at national landmark Stonewall Inn, held on the same day, saw And Just Like That… star Sara Ramirez tell a crowd that “infrastructure of anti-trans hate” contributed to Nex’s death. “Nex Benedict, I want to say I’m sorry for the ways your peers and your school threw you away,” they said, according to The Independent. “Your life was valuable.” Ramirez continued to highlight the necessity to stand up for trans youth: “It is our moral and humanitarian obligation to speak up, show up and take action against the anti-trans machine.
