I'm forwarding you this link FYI (LZ Granderson, LATimes) because it's something you might not otherwise come across. (I hope you see it here; I should probably learn to use the DM, but I haven't even turned it on yet.)
Thank you so much for this careful and thorough rundown of the situation. Follow-up and corrections are not exactly a strong suit of media journalism. I'm still having a hard time reading all of this. At the moment I'm sitting with my own sixteen-year-old gender fluid child, and I'm heartbroken. We haven't discussed this case yet. Besides the pressing issue of homework and other mundane daily tasks, we're still digesting some of the other tragedies in our own neighborhood--the after-school shooting a block from the older sister's former high school a couple weeks ago that left one dead and two injured and an entire community traumatized, and the fatal shooting last spring of one of their elementary school classmates (he was 15 and gunned down in front of his house). In the Chicago Public Schools on the north side, most of my kids' close friends are openly trans or gender fluid/non-binary/queer. And although the "Hate Has No Home Here" sign was designed in our community, we know that Hate is always lurking, even in the "blue states" and even in the most well-meaning "progressive" communities. Rage at non-conformity is a powerful force, and we misfits are always a handy target. As my snarky gay middle daughter had on her phone case for a while: "Hate has no home here, it's just crashing on my couch"
I have finally come back to this as I said I would. But before I did I had to fix the typos in the other long one. My fingers are arthitic and as such I often hit the wrong keys. Anyway...
I assume that you have seen the video that was relased, with two distinct sections...
In the first we see Nex and the others leaving the cafeteria and go towards the bathroom. The main thing I noticed there was that one of the others' faces was blurred. This leads me to wonder why? Is this just general practice, or is it part of a school district/police cover-up so the perpetrator cannot be identified? Seeing as where this is happening, an extreme MAGAt state, I have to assume the latter.
In the second part we see Nex in the hospital with their mother and in bed describing what had happened in the bathroom. And they look healthy, but as we know, there could be fatal injuries that do not manifest at first.
What I wonder though is if there was an ''angel of death'' nurse or doctor there waiting to assassinate her? These type of people have been know to do these kinds of things all over the world, and they have been done in the US.
Now, I have to refer back to an incident that happened to my mother. She for many years taught practical nursing at our local hospital. As such, she knew many people there including many nurses and doctors. I used to tag along with her sometimes to the classes. As a result, I got very familiar with some of those same people and even with the building. To this day, if I have to go to an upper floor, I just go to the service elevator rather than have to stand in line with others needing to get to an upper floor. But I digress.
One time my mother was sick and I went to see her and I noticed she was very out of sorts. I happened to look in a wastebasket and saw the wrapper of some drug there is NO way she should've been given. So I called someone and a nurse came in and she called a doctor (whom I knew) and he verified that this was very wrong and could've killed her. Fortunately they discovered this in time. Also they found that the wrong drug had been given her by a new (male) nurse. I went ballistic and due to the respect they all had for my mother they fired that guy as I told them if they did not, I would sue the hospital, and knowing me, they knew I would've done that. Needless to say she was fine within a day after being given the right meds.
So you might have an idea where I am going with this. As I posited above maybe there actually WAS a 'MAGAt angel of death'' there who intentionally gave Nex the wrong merdicine when they were alone. If this happened where I live, I would say no, even as the hospital is now part of a for-profit business which I refuse to go to.
But not to be a conspiracy theorist, seeing how a large portion of Okies (and others) seem to be glad that Nex is dead, I would not put it past the school district, the hospital, the police, or the DA there.
I would hope that the DOJ invesitgates what is clearly a CRIME.
Story's sad enough without leaping to blameful conclusions. Undiagnosed brain bleed (a leapt-to conclusion) seems much more likely than "murdered in hospital 'cuz trans."
I guess it depends where one lives. I live in NY state and do not expect it would happen here, but when one sees how many anti-LGBTQIA+ laws are being pushed in extremely red states.
But in the past it did happen 'here'...
Did you recently hear that two black men who had been convicted and jailed for the murder on Malcom X in 1965, Muhammad A. Aziz and Khalil Islam, were exonerated and released from prsion, and now it seems that what they and others, including the family - that the NYPD and FBI were involved in the murder and set up the two men, what was once believed to ONLY be a conspiracy theory...
While this does not relate to the Dex situation, is DOES show how LEOs can do crimes.
A beautiful piece, which captures justifiable anger and pain but also hope. I'm in the UK, and was following the case of Brianna Ghey very closely (she was local to where I grew up). I hope we can do better, as a society. We NEED to do better.
I am taking this one step further. I have contacted all State and federal representatives on both sides of the aisle in my state. We the people need to let them know who they work for. Also, listen to your heart and vote. If you feel frustrated, do it anyway.
Yeah it sure sounds like a pants load. Head injury and then mysteriously passing away hours later but the two things are unrelated? sounds like wagon circling.
I'm forwarding you this link FYI (LZ Granderson, LATimes) because it's something you might not otherwise come across. (I hope you see it here; I should probably learn to use the DM, but I haven't even turned it on yet.)
https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2024-03-01/nex-benedict-trans-school-safety-oklahoma
good reporting from Indian Country News. Also first time someone who knew Nix stated they were trans not NB
https://ictnews.org/news/my-child-is-not-filth really nice report from Indian County Nnews:
"some things make a death more or less news"
11,500 children unmourned here and elsewhere sadly prove you correct.
Thank you so much for this careful and thorough rundown of the situation. Follow-up and corrections are not exactly a strong suit of media journalism. I'm still having a hard time reading all of this. At the moment I'm sitting with my own sixteen-year-old gender fluid child, and I'm heartbroken. We haven't discussed this case yet. Besides the pressing issue of homework and other mundane daily tasks, we're still digesting some of the other tragedies in our own neighborhood--the after-school shooting a block from the older sister's former high school a couple weeks ago that left one dead and two injured and an entire community traumatized, and the fatal shooting last spring of one of their elementary school classmates (he was 15 and gunned down in front of his house). In the Chicago Public Schools on the north side, most of my kids' close friends are openly trans or gender fluid/non-binary/queer. And although the "Hate Has No Home Here" sign was designed in our community, we know that Hate is always lurking, even in the "blue states" and even in the most well-meaning "progressive" communities. Rage at non-conformity is a powerful force, and we misfits are always a handy target. As my snarky gay middle daughter had on her phone case for a while: "Hate has no home here, it's just crashing on my couch"
I have finally come back to this as I said I would. But before I did I had to fix the typos in the other long one. My fingers are arthitic and as such I often hit the wrong keys. Anyway...
I assume that you have seen the video that was relased, with two distinct sections...
In the first we see Nex and the others leaving the cafeteria and go towards the bathroom. The main thing I noticed there was that one of the others' faces was blurred. This leads me to wonder why? Is this just general practice, or is it part of a school district/police cover-up so the perpetrator cannot be identified? Seeing as where this is happening, an extreme MAGAt state, I have to assume the latter.
In the second part we see Nex in the hospital with their mother and in bed describing what had happened in the bathroom. And they look healthy, but as we know, there could be fatal injuries that do not manifest at first.
What I wonder though is if there was an ''angel of death'' nurse or doctor there waiting to assassinate her? These type of people have been know to do these kinds of things all over the world, and they have been done in the US.
Now, I have to refer back to an incident that happened to my mother. She for many years taught practical nursing at our local hospital. As such, she knew many people there including many nurses and doctors. I used to tag along with her sometimes to the classes. As a result, I got very familiar with some of those same people and even with the building. To this day, if I have to go to an upper floor, I just go to the service elevator rather than have to stand in line with others needing to get to an upper floor. But I digress.
One time my mother was sick and I went to see her and I noticed she was very out of sorts. I happened to look in a wastebasket and saw the wrapper of some drug there is NO way she should've been given. So I called someone and a nurse came in and she called a doctor (whom I knew) and he verified that this was very wrong and could've killed her. Fortunately they discovered this in time. Also they found that the wrong drug had been given her by a new (male) nurse. I went ballistic and due to the respect they all had for my mother they fired that guy as I told them if they did not, I would sue the hospital, and knowing me, they knew I would've done that. Needless to say she was fine within a day after being given the right meds.
So you might have an idea where I am going with this. As I posited above maybe there actually WAS a 'MAGAt angel of death'' there who intentionally gave Nex the wrong merdicine when they were alone. If this happened where I live, I would say no, even as the hospital is now part of a for-profit business which I refuse to go to.
But not to be a conspiracy theorist, seeing how a large portion of Okies (and others) seem to be glad that Nex is dead, I would not put it past the school district, the hospital, the police, or the DA there.
I would hope that the DOJ invesitgates what is clearly a CRIME.
"But not to be a conspiracy theorist..."
Story's sad enough without leaping to blameful conclusions. Undiagnosed brain bleed (a leapt-to conclusion) seems much more likely than "murdered in hospital 'cuz trans."
I guess it depends where one lives. I live in NY state and do not expect it would happen here, but when one sees how many anti-LGBTQIA+ laws are being pushed in extremely red states.
But in the past it did happen 'here'...
Did you recently hear that two black men who had been convicted and jailed for the murder on Malcom X in 1965, Muhammad A. Aziz and Khalil Islam, were exonerated and released from prsion, and now it seems that what they and others, including the family - that the NYPD and FBI were involved in the murder and set up the two men, what was once believed to ONLY be a conspiracy theory...
While this does not relate to the Dex situation, is DOES show how LEOs can do crimes.
Some details...
https://www.democracynow.org/2024/2/22/malcolm_x_assassination_security_guards
https://www.democracynow.org/2021/2/26/raymond_wood_reggie_wood_malcolm_x
https://amsterdamnews.com/news/2024/02/26/witnesses-allege-gov-and-police-coverup-in-malolm-x-killing/
Humans are so non-
Thank you.
Thank you. This is beautiful.
Beautifully written. Thank you!
A beautiful piece, which captures justifiable anger and pain but also hope. I'm in the UK, and was following the case of Brianna Ghey very closely (she was local to where I grew up). I hope we can do better, as a society. We NEED to do better.
I am taking this one step further. I have contacted all State and federal representatives on both sides of the aisle in my state. We the people need to let them know who they work for. Also, listen to your heart and vote. If you feel frustrated, do it anyway.
Poor baby, I want to cry every time I see their picture. Their poor family. That poor friend, my god, how that kid must feel!
I fully expect Okie pols to start scoring themselves by how many trans kids they've got killed or driven to suicide.
Ta, Crip Dyke. I read this when I was alone in my office, and shed some tears. May Nex's memory always be a blessing.
Nex's family now calling out the police and school system's "coverup" of their murder.
https://popular.info/p/nex-benedicts-mom-raises-doubts-about?utm_campaign=email-half-post&r=kue0h&utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
That poor family. A tragedy born from hatred, exacerbated by bigotry.
Yeah it sure sounds like a pants load. Head injury and then mysteriously passing away hours later but the two things are unrelated? sounds like wagon circling.
Beautiful work here ❤️