Are LGBTQ+ hate crimes increasing? Advocates view Nex Benedict's death as latest example
The death of 16-year-old Nex Benedict sparked demonstrations across the country with LGBTQ+ advocates pointing at anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric as the cause of the gender-expansive teen's demise.
A police investigation is underway after Benedict died earlier this month after sustaining injuries in an altercation on school grounds. Although the exact details of the fight are unclear, the teen's family and friends have said Nex was routinely bullied because of their gender identity.
Many critics blame Benedict's death on the negativity spread by right-wing social media accounts that feed aggression toward LGBTQ+ individuals, with many pointing to Chaya Raichik, the woman behind the "Libs of TikTok" social media account.
Are anti-LGBTQ+ hate crimes increasing?
The FBI's 2022 crime reported showed that anti-LGBTQ+ hate crime reports increased from the previous year, with a 13.8% hump in reports based on sexual orientation and a 32.9% increase in reported bate crimes based on gender identity.
According to the report, there were 1,947 recorded incidents relating to an alleged victim’s sexual orientation in 2022, up from 1,711 the year before, and 469 relating to an alleged victim’s gender identity, compared to 353 the year before.
Regarding gender identity, there were 338 instances that were specifically anti-transgender and 131 that targeted someone who was gender non-conforming.
Recent anti-LGBTQ+ hate crimes
O'Shae Sibley
In July 2023, 28-year-old gay man O'Shae Sibley was stabbed to death in Brooklyn after a confrontation between a group of friends dancing to a Beyoncé song and another group of young men who taunted them with derogatory slurs.
A 17-year-old suspect, who wasn't named, was in custody and was facing a charge of murder in the second degree, charged as a hate crime, and criminal possession of a weapon.
Club Q shooting
Anderson Lee Aldrich killed five people and injured 17 during the Club Q shooting in Colorado Springs in November 2022.
The following June, Aldrich pleaded guilty to five counts of first-degree murder and 46 counts of attempted first-degree murder and no contest two counts of bias-motivated crimes, one a felony and the other a misdemeanor. Aldrich was initially charged with more than 300 crimes in connection to the mass shooting at Club Q in November.
Crystal Turner and Kylen Schulte
Crystal Turner, 38, and Kylen Schulte, 24, were a queer couple who were found dead from gunshot wounds in August 2021 after a four-day search in Moab, Utah.
The following year, Adam Pinkusiewicz confessed to killing the two women before he killed himself, the Grand County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando
In June 2016, 29-year-old Omar Mateen killed 49 people and injured 53 during the shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando.
Five years later, a man was arrested after being caught on camera setting a small fire to several banners at a memorial for the shooting victims.
Mark Carson
In May 2013, Mark Carson, a 32-year-old gay man, was shot to death by Elliot Morales in New York's West Village neighborhood after calling Carson anti-LGBTQ+ slurs.
Morales was found guilty of second degree murder charge, with the hate crime designation.
Nex Benedict's death viewed as latest in string of anti-LGBTQ+ hate crimes
LGBTQ+ advocates have also created an online petition seeking to hold Ryan Walters, Oklahoma State Superintendent, for "spreading the idea that Oklahoma schools are filled with depraved individuals that groom kids into some mangled woke mold." The petition blames the "extreme, politically motivated speech and propaganda" for Benedict's death and asks Stitt and Treat to hold Walters accountable.
Another petition seeks to oust Sen. Tom Woods after he used the word "filth" to describe the LGBTQ+ community last week.
On social media, LGBTQ+ advocacy group Freedom Oklahoma and ACLU Oklahoma spoke out against anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric and called for the safety of queer students in Oklahoma schools.
We stand in solidarity with our community and recognize Nex Benedict should still be alive today.
All students, including 2SLGBTQ+ students, deserve to be safe at school. And while our organization defends the First Amendment, we also recognize the power of speech can come with… https://t.co/hNy05DEJDh— ACLU of Oklahoma (@ACLUOK) February 20, 2024
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Are LGBTQ+ hate crimes increasing? Nex Benedict's death viewed as latest example