26 February 2024
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — On Sunday evening, Wichitans gathered at the Keeper of the Plains downtown for a candlelight vigil to honor the life of Nex Benedict.
Benedict identified as nonbinary and used they/them pronouns according to their family. Benedict died Feb. 8, one day after a fight inside a girl’s bathroom at Owasso High School. Police in the Tulsa suburb have not released a cause of death but said this week that the teenager did not die as a result of injuries from the fight.
“Now, I see this next generation coming up against levels of hate that I didn’t even notice. Legislation trying to legislate our bodies it’s just, I think I needed to come out to support my community,” Kendra Ogdon said at the vigil.
Vigils were held at locations including Boston, New York, Minneapolis and Huntington Beach, California, over the weekend.