Oklahoma’s public schools chief blames “radical leftists” for exploiting deceased 16-year-old non-binary student Nex Benedict, but says he doesn’t believe anyone is truly transgender or non-binary. Ta.
Although police and school officials say Benedict’s death appears to be unrelated, many online sources continue to suggest that the student’s death was connected to a fight in the school bathroom the day before. In response, Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters spoke.
“I think it’s terrible that there are radical leftists who are running for political purposes and trying to spin a narrative that is not true,” Walters said. told the New York Times.
“You have experienced a tragedy and caused people to try to exploit it for political gain.”
Walters said the student’s death did not change his view that people can be non-binary or transgender. He does not allow students to use names or pronouns different from those assigned at birth.
“There is no more than one gender. There are two. God created us that way,” the 38-year-old Republican told the outlet.
“Humans are created in the image of God, so we will always treat individuals with dignity and respect. But that doesn’t change the truth,” Walters told the Times.
“We are seeing a civil war brewing, where the left is really fighting for the soul of our country… They are fighting for the very principles that made this country great, the Judeo-Christian values. , and are ruining the traditions of this country.”
Benedict died the day after a fight in the bathroom that may have been sparked by bullying over his gender identity, the student’s grieving mother said.
The cause of death has not been determined, but law enforcement officials said preliminary reports indicate it was not due to assault-related injuries.
Benedict’s family has launched an independent investigation into the boy’s death.
Walters has previously appointed Chaya Lajczyk, known as TikTok’s Lib, to a state commission reviewing the suitability of books for school libraries, despite her outspoken and critical views on LGBTQ issues. He has been criticized for his handling of gender issues, such as appointing
Walters is also accused of pressuring some educators to resign, including those who protested against the banning of some books and a principal who staged a drug performance outside of school. .
Nicole McAfee, executive director of Freedom Oklahoma, which advocates for transgender and gay rights, said, “Ryan Walters is a devastatingly hostile person to transgender, double-minded, and gender nonconforming students.” “We created an environment where we could have a better time,” he told the Times.
McAfee said that trend has only increased since Benedict’s death.
“Countless times, I have seen people share the images that Ryan Walters promoted during his bathroom campaign, using language that specifically demonized transgender youth. ” said the Director-General.
Despite his actions, many of his former students praised him as an approachable teacher who welcomed discussion.
“Walters didn’t go out of his way to be apolitical,” Shane Hood, 22, who took at least three history classes with Walters at McAlester High School, told the Times.
When Mr. Walters was a teacher, he said, he rarely expressed his political views, other than displaying large cutouts of Winston Churchill and Ronald Reagan.
“He was probably popular around school,” Hood said, adding that Walters’ current views don’t fit with the teachers he knew in high school.
Meanwhile, vigils are being held for Benedict in Oklahoma and across the country.
“I went from heartbroken to angry,” said Lorena, a community organizer who called on religious leaders to speak out against discrimination at a rally in El Paso, Texas, on Sunday night.
“My call to you is to stand up and make it clear that what is being done is not to be done in the name of God,” she said. “Stand up and take your religion back from the conservative right.”
The boy told police that the girls poured water on him and assaulted him. Video has been published Friday.
According to audio of the call to police, Benedict’s mother, Sue Benedict, said she wanted authorities to press charges.
Responding officers can be heard on the hospital video explaining that Benedict started the altercation by throwing water, so a court would consider it a mutual fight.
with post wire
