A few days ago, Ari Drennen, who writes on LGBTQ issues for Media Matters of America, was incensed that there would be no charges in the death of Dagny "Nex" Benedict, a 16-year-old nonbinary high school student.
They slammed Nex's head against the bathroom floor and he blacked out and the next day he died and they will face zero consequences for it.
— Ari Drennen (@AriDrennen) March 22, 2024
Remember Nex Benedict. Protect trans kids. The state sure as hell won't. pic.twitter.com/hZJhJOvL19
"He" didn't black out. The next day she died of what the medical examiner found was an overdose of Prozac and Benadryl. Why would anyone face charges over a suicide? And yet LGBTQ activists insist that Benedict was beaten to death for being nonbinary. California State Sen. Scott Weiner blamed "aggressive gender policing in bathrooms." Others blamed the Oklahoma state legislature for fomenting an environment of hate with its anti-trans legislation. Still others blamed Chaya Raichik of Libs of TikTok for ginning up anti-trans hate with her posts.
The Independent found a direct connection between Libs of TikTok and Benedict's death. The Independent noted that Benedict "greatly admired" a teacher whose video had been reposted by Libs of TikTok. Raichik notes that the tweet was about two years ago, and Benedict was a sophomore and probably not in high school when this teacher was featured.
Was bullying what drove Benedict to kill herself? Or did she have other issues? Chad Felix Greene reports for our sister site RedState.
The Tragic Story of Nex Benedict Is About Far More Than the Vulture Media's Exploitative Narrativehttps://t.co/O9SgM3KlLp
— RedState (@RedState) March 27, 2024
Greene writes:
Dr. Paul Wax, the Executive Director of the American College of Toxicology, reviewed the results and confirmed she could have consumed 50 to 100 pills to reach that toxicity level. Her routine medication, fluoxetine, for bipolar disorder was present and may have contributed, a second authority concluded. Her death was intentionally self-inflicted.
The report indicated, “The 11 pages released indicate handwritten notes ‘suggestive of self-harm’ were found in Nex's room by family members, and that the teen has a history of ‘bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety, self-harm (cutting).’”
…
As is usual in these cases, there is much more to the story. A hint was provided by the Washington Post on February 21st, 2024, that never made it beyond that report. Describing Dagney’s funeral, the article states that Dagney's cousin spoke “along with her mother and Benedict. Nex’s biological mother was among the mourners; their father, who is in prison for abuse, was not.” That last detail may have been more impactful than realized.
On July 17th, 2019, when Dagney was 11 years old, an arrest warrant was issued for James Everette Hughes, Dagney’s father. He was arrested on July 31st, 2019, in Sebastian County, AR. The charge was for rape of a minor under the age of 14, during the time period between May 2017 and August 2017, when Dagney was nine years old. Among many witnesses was Sue Benedict, the grandmother who would adopt Dagney in 2019.
Nex’s father m*lested her for years and an*lly r*ped her. He served under 5 years in prison and was released shortly before she committed suicide. He was arrested again just 2 weeks before she overdosed. She had suicide notes.
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) March 29, 2024
Yet the media blamed me. https://t.co/kJlMm48z1z
They certainly did.
This is such a sad story. Even sadder is how the left tried to weaponize the death of this poor person against @libsoftiktok
— Planet Of Memes (@PlanetOfMemes) March 29, 2024
The media is responsible for part of these crimes.
— Paul A. Szypula 🇺🇸 (@Bubblebathgirl) March 29, 2024
Their placing blame on others is pure projection.
The media pushes vulnerable people to the edge and then runs cover for the real perpetrators.
It’s sickening.
The only solace is knowing that the media is going bankrupt.
Doesn't it seem suspicious to anyone that whenever you find out the background of some kid that becomes trans you almost always find out they were either pushed into it while they were extremely young or they had some traumatic incident or back story?
— John Hawkins (@johnhawkinsrwn) March 29, 2024
Only 5 years in prison is insane. He should have been castrated and thrown in prison for the rest of his life, at the bare minimum.
— Tony Lascari (@lascari_tony) March 29, 2024
Tragic story about a troubled youth. Easy to blame you, when no one wants to look in the mirror. Shameful and sad.
— Scott (@versco) March 29, 2024
Well of course they'd want to hide the source of any mental trauma that resulted in Nex's warped gender identity. That would make it not seem normal and healthy. Can't have that.
— Dr. Mauser (@Dr_Mauser) March 29, 2024
President Joe Biden even issued an official White House statement on her death, saying that "nobody should have to be brave just to be themselves." But he had to be shamed into saying the name of "Lincoln Riley," who was allegedly murdered by an illegal. Biden didn't mention anything about Benedict's father.
This was a tragic suicide and groups like the Human Rights Campaign are still calling for #JusticeForNex. Just leave the girl alone. She's not the martyr you were hoping for.
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