Honoring Nex Benedict: A tribute to resilience and LGBTQ+ identity

Nikki DeMarco
·2 min read
11

The Zebra Coalition is holding a vigil to celebrate the life of Nex Benedict.

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Nex Benedict, whose family said the teen was bullied at Owasso High School, died a day after a fight inside a girl’s bathroom at the school. According to family, Benedict identified as nonbinary and used they/them pronouns.

Federal officials are opening an investigation into the Oklahoma school district where the nonbinary 16-year-old high school student was in a fight before dying last month, according to a letter sent by the U.S. Department of Education on Friday.

Read: Federal officials will investigate Oklahoma school following nonbinary teenager’s death

“The loss of Nex is heartbreaking for everyone, especially us trans kids. They were a kind soul and never deserved to be killed for their identity,” said Saffy, a 14-year-old from Orlando

The vigil will be held by the local LAGBTQ+ community to celebrate Nex’s journey and honor their legacy as a beloved member of the trans youth community.

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The vigil will feature words from trans and non-binary youth, as well as artistic performances,

opportunity to learn about how Nex is described by his loved ones, time to hold space

for one another in small groups and a candle lighting closure, according to a news release.

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The hope is for individuals to come together to celebrate Nex’s life and mourn his loss while remembering other trans and non-binary lives lost to violence.

“Nex should have felt safe at school. Nex left us too soon and should still be here to live their life authentically and freely,” said Zebra Coalition executive director Heather Wilkie.

The vigil be held on Saturday, March 9 from 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. at The Center Orlando, located at 946 N Mills Avenue.

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