The systems aren’t designed to give us accountability
(on US Dept of Education and Owasso Public Schools Title IX resolution)
Yesterday the Department of Education released a letter to Owasso Public Schools detailing a number of ways in which they failed to comply with Title IX, the result of an investigation following a complaint launched after Nex Benedict died the day following being beaten in a school bathroom after months of being bullied for his* gender identity. It is certainly an important step to have a federal institution acknowledge the harms caused by Owasso Public School’s failure to comply with Title IX–compliance failures that stretch far beyond Nex’s case and his death. While Owasso Public Schools in their initial response has acknowledged their failure to comply with Title IX, their continued refusal to acknowledge their role in the death of Nex Benedict shows how far removed their response is from accountability. And, as we all sit with the letter from the Federal Department of Education, the list of next steps may feel far removed from any sense of justice, to the extent that it is even possible when a school has contributed to the conditions that resulted in the death of one of their students.
There are a lot of folks far removed from the work on the ground ready to call this accountability and move on. And, as folks on the front lines of this work, as people who attended Owasso School Board meetings in the wake of Nex’s death, as folks who continue to receive outreach from folks who have experienced harm in Owasso Public Schools, and as folks committed to centering Indigenous Two Spirit, Transgender, and Gender Nonconforming+ folks in this work, we want to acknowledge the ways in which calling limited demands by an outgoing US Department of Education administration “accountability” increases harm on the ground and erases the experiences of those who continue to experience the harms of Owasso Public Schools.
So, what’s next? What does a continued commitment to justice and accountability, rooted in community and centering those most marginalized, excluded, and harmed look like?
It looks like continued support for resources and work around the crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives. Entities like Northeastern Oklahoma Indigenous Safety and Education (NOISE) continue to lead community work in the area Nex called home, and it is critical we continue to build across community to learn from and with NOISE, and support their work to create safety and seek justice for Indigenous women, girls, and Two Spirit relatives.
It looks like continuing to create community space where educators and school staff, caregivers, and especially young people can safely come together to seek resources and support as they carry so much of the burden of anti-2SLGBTQ+ policy and rhetoric. Our Freedom Oklahoma team facilitates virtual community spaces monthly, and can always prioritize additional spaces online or in person where there is a community need.
So much of the response to Nex’s death has rightfully demanded our urgency and action. And, it has not allowed much space to grieve. Join us next Wednesday November 20 at 6 PM CT as we host a virtual space for Transgender Day of Remembrance and Resilience, to come together and honor the lives of all of those we’ve lost due to vast spectrum of violence our Two Spirit, Transgender, and gender nonconforming+ siblings are subjected to, and the very limited pathways to accountability, justice, or repair available to our community who has to live with the void they leave behind.
Help us make space in Tulsa on November 22 from 6-8 PM CT as we engage in collective art and joy, the revolutionary heart of our movement work.
In the weeks ahead, before Owasso Public Schools is mandated to share a public nondiscrimination and anti-discrimination statement, let’s come together to dream and share what a statement and related actions that begin to be accountable to community could look like. And offer Owasso Public Schools an example of how they could begin to center the safety and well-being of their students going forward.
With more than 278 days since Nex Benedict died, we know the grief is still fresh for so many of us here in Oklahoma. And, we acknowledge the very real fear that has been raised by 2STGNC+ youth in the last week, as young folks without access to the ballot box face a reality in which their future continues to be governed by a growing number of people willing to risk their lives for political dramatics. We’ll continue to do the work to recognize the agency of 2STGNC+ youth, and work with them to support the fight for their safety on their terms, as we work to build the future where all 2LGBTQ+ folks have the safety to thrive. In schools, across Oklahoma, and everywhere we call home.
*In the weeks following Nex’s death, several of his closest friends made it clear that while he had identified as nonbinary and used they/them pronouns broadly, he had been in the process of adopting he/him pronouns with those closest to him. Ultimately Nex’s death means that we cannot seek his input on how he most would like to be publicly identified or remembered. And making a choice for him always feels heavy with grief and the potential to cause harm or erase parts of him. And, in the spirit of how those who best knew and loved Nex have chosen to speak of him and honor him, we’ve adopted using he/him pronouns when talking about Nex.
We know there has been an increase in demand for crisis resources and that folks may seek those same resources as they grapple with the information shared here. For a warm line option that is trans affirming and does not engage the police, Trans Lifeline is run by and for Trans people, Thrive Lifeline is trans led and operated, BlackLine operates through unapologetic Black LGBTQ and Black femme lenses, Strong Hearts Native Helpline centering Indigenous community members, the LGBT National Help Center handles all calls in-house with trained LGBTQ+ volunteers, and Thrive which serves 2SLGBTQ+ adults. 2SLGBTQ+ crisis hotlines that may (with or without consent) engage police, include The Trevor Project and 988.