By: Katherine Rabasco
If you’re not sure who Nex Benedict was or why we are remembering them for the short life they were able to live, don’t worry. You’re in the same boat I was about two weeks ago because the media did an inadequate job covering their story.
Nex Benedict was an innocent soul that was taken from this earth too soon. They were a non-binary 16-year-old high school student from Oklahoma with a bright future and so much life left to live. They were brutally beaten by bullies who had been targeting them for months and unfortunately paid the ultimate price when they passed away just one day after the ruthless altercation in a school bathroom.
Following the event that occurred on February 8, 2024, the media and news outlets didn’t cover this story until February 19, 2024. That’s over a week of no reports, no news, and no media attention on the altercation and eventual death of Nex. Since then, there have been many articles, videos, and news segments about the tragedy, but most just discuss vigils that individuals are holding to mourn their death. And Nex isn’t the only queer person to have been bullied or commit suicide recently. You just wouldn’t know that because they received even less coverage than Nex did. We have to do better than that. The lack of news and media coverage demonstrates an unwillingness to educate the public about these tragedies as soon as they occur. It also represents the lack of media attention provided to those in disenfranchised groups.
I first found out about the altercation through my roommate almost a month after it had happened and only because people in her inner circle were reposting about the vigils. It took well over a month for the news to reach me, a 20-year-old college student who’s always on her phone. I’m not trying to make this about me, but at some point, we have to reevaluate how media outlets reach their audiences. I don’t have TikTok, but I have Instagram and Snapchat, and not once did I see anything about this story. Being a college student in an apartment with no cable means I’m unable to watch the nightly news. And for a lot of people, this is something present in their lives as well.
We should be exploring other avenues of communication to relay important news to the public. Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok, are several examples of ways that media reach the public aside from the news. It would also be incredible if there was some sort of breaking news or recent news page on Google or Safari that popped up before you made searches. This would allow news articles and segments to be easily accessible for those who don’t often seek out news. There also doesn’t seem to be much coverage in general of those in marginalized communities, like those in the LGBTQIA+ community.
It makes me wonder, had Nex identified as cisgender, would this story have gotten more coverage in general or more timely coverage? It shouldn’t have to take a 16-year-old nearly being beaten to death for us to realize that there are problems with lawmakers, school systems, and the lack of coverage these problems are met with. Schools should be safe havens for students, not places they’re fearful of. Nex feared for their life in the bathroom that day and others since then have expressed fears that they will be rejected, bullied, or persecuted for the way they choose to identify.
41% of Surveyed LGBTQ+ Youth Considered Suicide in the Past Year, a video created by PBS, interviewed some of the youth who participated in a survey completed by the Trevor Project. The Trevor Project found, “That 53 percent of these kids were harassed in school. Making sure schools are dealing with that, making sure kids have bathrooms they’re comfortable using, that they can change for gym, all these really basic things can help a lot” (Turban). As a future teacher myself, this is something I think about a lot. I want all of my future students to feel comfortable learning and existing in my classroom and on campus no matter what.
Nex wasn’t given an opportunity to be heard because the school administration didn’t believe them and they were ignored many times before their attack. They were even almost suspended after the attack because the administration just labeled the attack as a fight. I implore the media to cover more stories like this one. Stories that showcase the wrongdoings of others towards those who are non-binary or those who are in the LGBTQIA+ community as soon as they happen. Bring awareness to those who are unable to do it themselves. Nex deserved better.