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Rainbow Youth Project USA (RYP) works with 2SLGBTQIA+ youth across the country to improve their mental wellbeing, healthcare and housing situations.
RYP says the mental health crisis hotline received an average of 87 calls from Oklahoma per week before Benedict’s death.
After Benedict’s identity and the circumstances preceding their death were revealed, calls have more than tripled.
From Feb. 16-Feb. 20, the RYP hotline received 349 calls from Oklahoma.
Of those calls:
“If you look back to when our crisis hotline began in April of 2022, for about 6 months there, the number one reason for a crisis outreach call was parental rejection, being forced out, scared about coming out,” said Preston. “Now, our number one reason is ‘my government hates me,’ ‘my school doesn’t want me,’ ‘they don’t want me to use the bathroom,’ ‘they don’t want me to read a book.’ So it’s really shifted and that’s sad, but that is also across the country.”
In 2022, Gov. Kevin Stitt signed a law required transgender public school students to use the restroom that corresponds with their gender assigned at birth. Stitt has also signed executive orders taking aim at DEI and defining sex and gender.
According to Oklahoma Watch, 40 anti-LGBTQ+ have been filed for the current legislative session, including a bill that would bar state agencies from showing support for Oklahoma’s LGBTQ+ community.
Last month, the Oklahoma State Board of Education approved a permanent rule to prohibit school districts from altering student records to reflect their gender identity.
“We’re not going to do the transgender game of back and forth, back and forth,” said State Superintendent Ryan Walters during the October Board of Education meeting. “We have two genders. Those are the genders that are set.”
Also in January, Supt. Walters appointed Chaya Raichik, a New York-based former real estate agent who runs the X (formerly known as Twitter) account ‘Libs of TikTok,’ to sit on the Oklahoma State Department of Education’s Library Media Advisory Committee.
“No one has done more to expose what the radical left is all about than @ChayaRaichik10 and @libsoftiktok. Her’s [sic] is a powerful voice to protect Oklahoma kids from porn in schools and woke indoctrination. I’m proud to have her on our team,” Walters posted on his X account following Raichik’s appointment.
Raichik has posted numerous times on her personal X account about Benedict’s death, denying any connection between a 2022 post about an Owasso High School teacher and Nex.
“When we talk about protecting the children, we should be protecting all children. Every child has an inherent worthiness and we need to respect that,” said Preston. “Irrespective of whether… you agree personally or religiously with that child’s beliefs or with that child’s identity or sexual orientation. They’re all worthy and they should all be protected. We can’t single out a specific group and say, ‘We’re not gonna protect these kids.'”
As the 2SLGBTQ+ community continues to mourn Nex’s loss and legislation makes its way through legislatures across the country, Preston wants to remind all members of the community that help is out there and hope is not lost.
“To Oklahoma youth and LGBTQIA+ youth across the country, we’re here for you… Just reach out, never be afraid to reach out. It’s ok to not be ok,” said Preston. “…there is a lot of people who are standing up and fighting back against these policies, fighting back trying to reduce the numbers of bullying, trying to increase the administration’s response to bullying. And even though these things take time, it’s gonna happen, we will get there. I just hope that from what we’re seeing with suicidal ideation right now, I just need them to hold on to get there with us.”
A candlelight service is scheduled for Feb. 24 from 6:30-8 p.m. at the Point A Gallery, 2124 NW 39th St. Oklahoma City, 73112.
Also on Saturday, RYP will host their Bold Pathway Awards in Oklahoma City to honor local advocates.
“It’s going to be a celebration to where we uplift everyone in the community and we celebrate the achievements that these people have made – and that should be a sign that we are making achievements, even when it doesn’t look like we are, we are making achievements,” said Preston.
2SLGBTQ+ affirming crisis support is available through the Trans Lifeline (877-565-8860), the Trevor Project (call 1-866-488-7386 or text START to 678-67
, the Rainbow Youth Project (317-643-488, and the LGBT Hotline (888-843-4564).
2SLGBTQ+ crisis hotline calls increase over 300% after nonbinary Oklahoma student’s death
A national crisis hotline for 2SLGBTQ+ youth says calls have spiked since the news about 16-year-old Nex Benedict, a nonbinary student from Owasso who died one day after a ‘physical altercation’ in the school bathroom, began to spread.Rainbow Youth Project USA (RYP) works with 2SLGBTQIA+ youth across the country to improve their mental wellbeing, healthcare and housing situations.
RYP says the mental health crisis hotline received an average of 87 calls from Oklahoma per week before Benedict’s death.
After Benedict’s identity and the circumstances preceding their death were revealed, calls have more than tripled.
From Feb. 16-Feb. 20, the RYP hotline received 349 calls from Oklahoma.
Of those calls:
- 69% mentioned Benedict as one of their reasons for distress
- 85% reported bullying at school and/or on social media
- 79% reported fear of physical assault
- 8 individuals were referred for immediate mental health services for self-harming behaviors
- 2 of those individuals were unable to get parental consent for those services
- 32 individuals identified as students from Owasso High School
- 14 individuals identified as parents of students who attend Owasso High School
“If you look back to when our crisis hotline began in April of 2022, for about 6 months there, the number one reason for a crisis outreach call was parental rejection, being forced out, scared about coming out,” said Preston. “Now, our number one reason is ‘my government hates me,’ ‘my school doesn’t want me,’ ‘they don’t want me to use the bathroom,’ ‘they don’t want me to read a book.’ So it’s really shifted and that’s sad, but that is also across the country.”
In 2022, Gov. Kevin Stitt signed a law required transgender public school students to use the restroom that corresponds with their gender assigned at birth. Stitt has also signed executive orders taking aim at DEI and defining sex and gender.
According to Oklahoma Watch, 40 anti-LGBTQ+ have been filed for the current legislative session, including a bill that would bar state agencies from showing support for Oklahoma’s LGBTQ+ community.
Last month, the Oklahoma State Board of Education approved a permanent rule to prohibit school districts from altering student records to reflect their gender identity.
“We’re not going to do the transgender game of back and forth, back and forth,” said State Superintendent Ryan Walters during the October Board of Education meeting. “We have two genders. Those are the genders that are set.”
Also in January, Supt. Walters appointed Chaya Raichik, a New York-based former real estate agent who runs the X (formerly known as Twitter) account ‘Libs of TikTok,’ to sit on the Oklahoma State Department of Education’s Library Media Advisory Committee.
“No one has done more to expose what the radical left is all about than @ChayaRaichik10 and @libsoftiktok. Her’s [sic] is a powerful voice to protect Oklahoma kids from porn in schools and woke indoctrination. I’m proud to have her on our team,” Walters posted on his X account following Raichik’s appointment.
Raichik has posted numerous times on her personal X account about Benedict’s death, denying any connection between a 2022 post about an Owasso High School teacher and Nex.
“When we talk about protecting the children, we should be protecting all children. Every child has an inherent worthiness and we need to respect that,” said Preston. “Irrespective of whether… you agree personally or religiously with that child’s beliefs or with that child’s identity or sexual orientation. They’re all worthy and they should all be protected. We can’t single out a specific group and say, ‘We’re not gonna protect these kids.'”
As the 2SLGBTQ+ community continues to mourn Nex’s loss and legislation makes its way through legislatures across the country, Preston wants to remind all members of the community that help is out there and hope is not lost.
“To Oklahoma youth and LGBTQIA+ youth across the country, we’re here for you… Just reach out, never be afraid to reach out. It’s ok to not be ok,” said Preston. “…there is a lot of people who are standing up and fighting back against these policies, fighting back trying to reduce the numbers of bullying, trying to increase the administration’s response to bullying. And even though these things take time, it’s gonna happen, we will get there. I just hope that from what we’re seeing with suicidal ideation right now, I just need them to hold on to get there with us.”
A candlelight service is scheduled for Feb. 24 from 6:30-8 p.m. at the Point A Gallery, 2124 NW 39th St. Oklahoma City, 73112.
Also on Saturday, RYP will host their Bold Pathway Awards in Oklahoma City to honor local advocates.
“It’s going to be a celebration to where we uplift everyone in the community and we celebrate the achievements that these people have made – and that should be a sign that we are making achievements, even when it doesn’t look like we are, we are making achievements,” said Preston.
2SLGBTQ+ affirming crisis support is available through the Trans Lifeline (877-565-8860), the Trevor Project (call 1-866-488-7386 or text START to 678-67
, the Rainbow Youth Project (317-643-488, and the LGBT Hotline (888-843-4564).
