Oklahoma’s public schools chief is accusing “radical leftists” of exploiting the death of a 16-year-old student who identified as non-binary.
The statements follow the death of Nex Benedict, a student at Owasso High School who earlier this month was involved in a fight in the school bathroom. The altercation allegedly occurred after several girls were making fun of Benedict for her gender identity, and the altercation turned physical after Benedict poured water on the girls in the bathroom.
While the cause of death has not yet been revealed, the police have clarified that the student’s death was unrelated to the fight that took place in the bathroom. The initial medical examiner’s report following Benedict’s death found that she did not die as a result of trauma, and an autopsy report is still pending.
Despite this, many LGBTQ activists have attempted to correlate the two and conclude that Benedict’s death is due to the injuries sustained during the altercation. Activists have further attempted to claim that rhetoric from conservative voices, including Libs of TikTok, is responsible for Benedict’s death.
This series of false allegations has prompted Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters to call these activists out.
“I think it’s terrible that we’ve had some radical leftists who decided to run with a political agenda and try to weave a narrative that hasn’t been true,” Walters said in a statement to The New York Times. “You’ve taken a tragedy, and you’ve had some folks try to exploit it for political gain.”
Walter went on to state that the death of the student has not changed his views on whether or not people can identify as nonbinary or transgender. He also reiterated that Oklahoma schools do not allow students to be referred to by their “preferred names” or pronouns that contradict their biological sex.
“You always treat individuals with dignity or respect, because they’re made in God’s image,” Walters stated. “But that doesn’t change truth.”
Walters has recently been an outspoken critic of LGBTQ propaganda being pushed in Oklahoma schools. Last year, he spoke out in support of a decision by the state education board to deny students the ability to change their gender on school records. Last month, Walters also appointed Libs of TikTok creator Chaya Raichik to a state agency advisory committee that reviews library media for schools.
