What We Know About the Death of a Nonbinary Student in Oklahoma

The death of a 16-year-old nonbinary student after an altercation in a high school girls’ bathroom in Oklahoma has drawn national attention and outrage from gay and transgender rights groups that say the student had been bullied because of their gender identity.

Nex Benedict, who often used the pronouns they and them and told relatives that they did not see themselves as strictly male or female, died in early February, one day after the altercation with three girls at Owasso High School. The medical examiner has ruled the death a suicide.

Details of what happened during the altercation have remained unclear, but in a police interview video released Feb. 24, Nex said they had “blacked out” while being beaten on the bathroom floor.

Nex’s death prompted an outpouring of grief across the country, particularly from the L.G.B.T.Q. community, and a renewed focus on the proliferation of policies that restrict gay and transgender rights.

Lawyers for the Benedict family called for a full investigation.

“The Benedicts know all too well the devastating effects of school violence, and pray for meaningful change wherein bullying is taken seriously and no family has to deal with another preventable tragedy,” they said in a statement.

Here’s what we know about the case:

What happened leading up to Nex’s death?

The altercation took place on Feb. 7. The Owasso Police Department said in a statement on Feb. 20 that no police report had been made about the fight until after Nex was taken to a hospital by relatives later the same day.