OWASSO, Okla. — Memories of jokes and joy echoed through Owasso's Redbud Festival Park Feb. 25.
There was also the heartbreak that permeated through much of the town and Oklahoma in the wake of Nex Benedict's death on Feb. 8.
The high school sophomore, who identified as non-binary, was reportedly jumped by three other students in the girl's bathroom one day earlier.
Owasso High School parent Anna Richardson didn't know Nex, but knew the community needed a safe place to mourn them and organized Sunday's vigil.
"I'm a mom and our community that I live in and that I'm a leader in lost a child, tragically. And that child needs to be honored," Richardson told 2 News.
Richardson, who also serves on the Owasso Pride Committee, believes there's a justified time and place to call for political action and criminal accountability in light of Nex's death, but said this night was about love for Nex and acceptance for those like them.
"I just want you to know that everything that you're feeling is okay," Olivia Gray of Northeast Oklahoma Indigenous Safety and Education (NOISE) said to those in attendance.
Olivia, who is also a former first lady of the Osage Nation. wants it known that Nex - a Choctaw Nation citizen - could've been any gender non-conforming child. She wants parents and kids alike to understand Sunday's message of spreading acceptance.
"I think...just part of being a mom and that empathy and that fear that every parent has – it just pulls my heart personally. I think any parent would feel that way," Gray said.
Note: 2 News has been referring to Nex with "they" and "them" pronouns based on guidance from the teen's family. However, many people at Sunday's vigil were using "he" and "him" pronouns.
A close friend said Nex went by those pronouns for at least the last year. 2 News continues to post information as we learn more.
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