Outrage as Republican Oklahoma state senator refers to LGBT people as ‘that filth’ after non-binary student’s death following school bathroom beating
An Oklahoma state senator called the LGBTQ community “trash,” adding that his constituents would fight to keep them out of their “religious” and “moral” state.
Tom Woods, a 28-year-old Republican who represents Senate District 4, appeared on a panel during the Feb. 23 Legislative Update sponsored by the Tahlequah Area Chamber of Commerce.
Audience member Cathy Cott inquired about the state legislature’s attempts to hinder the rights of LGBTQ people before pointing to Nex Benedict’s case.
Nex, a 16-year-old non-binary teen who used their pronouns, tragically died earlier this month after an attack by other students at their high school.
Woods admitted that his “heart is aching” over the teen’s death before continuing: “We are a Republican state – a supermajority – in the House of Representatives and the Senate. I represent a constituency that doesn’t want that filth in Oklahoma.”
Tom Woods, a Republican representing Oklahoma Senate District 4 (sitting at the podium, second from right), called the LGBTQ community “trash” during a February 23 legislative session.
The senator (pictured) described Oklahoma as a “religious” and “moral” state and said his constituents would fight to “keep that filth out.”
His comments drew loud applause from the audience, while others seemed stunned by his statements.
The senator said, “We are a religious state and we are going to fight to keep that filth out of the state of Oklahoma because we are a Christian state – we are a moral state.
‘We want to reduce taxes and give people the opportunity to live and work and choose the religion they choose. “We’re a Republican state and I’m going to vote for my district, and I’m going to vote for my values, and we don’t want that in the state of Oklahoma.”
Woods’ response came only after Cott stood up and demanded an answer as to why the state Legislature had “an obsession with Oklahoma’s LGBTQ citizens… their personal lives and how they raise their children.”
She asked, “Is there a reason why you’re not addressing the 50 bills targeting the LGBTQ community in the state of Oklahoma? If you’re ashamed of those bills, they shouldn’t be there.’
State lawmakers have introduced 40 bills for consideration this legislative session, several of which would ban gender-affirming care for minors.
Fourteen bills aim to change school policy and cede more control to parents and school administrators.
Representative David Hardin, a fellow Republican, was the first to answer Cott’s question.
“How you personally live your life is between you and God,” Hardin said. “I have no judgment on that, but whatever happens through our public schools, I will fall back on my faith.”
Woods’ comments came in response to a question from an audience member, who referenced the death of non-binary Oklahoma teen Nex Benedict earlier this month.
The Republican refused to back down after the meeting and reaffirmed that he supported his constituency and “we are tired of having that shoved down our throats every time.”
He added that he wanted children in Oklahoma public schools to “have the right to grow up with that belief, and if they choose to change it, that’s fine.”
Regarding Benedict’s death, Hardin said he was not aware of the matter but promised to look into it.
Another panelist, Senator Blake Stephens, said that as an educator he had taken an oath to educate and not “indoctrinate” students.
Woods did not waver from his position after the forum.
“I support my constituency, and like I said, we are a Christian state, and we are tired of having that shoved down our throats,” he said, adding that he supports the values of the “Republican Party ‘ was standing.
His comments came just over two weeks after Nex Benedict’s death. They died a day after a fight in a high school bathroom.
Police bodycam video taken the day of the altercation shows the teen alert and conscious as he relays details of the attack to officers, which they say occurred after they plied three girls with water sprayed.
Benedict claimed the girls bullied them and their friends and made fun of the way they dressed and the way they smiled.
“And so I went over there and poured water on them, and then all three of them came at me,” Benedict told an officer from a hospital bed.
‘They came at me. They grabbed my hair. I grabbed them. I threw one into a paper towel dispenser and they took my legs out from under me and put me on the floor.”
The teen added that the girls started hitting them before they blacked out.
Nex Benedict, 16, gave details of the attack to officers from a hospital bed
The teen died a day later after their mother reported shallow breathing and hands “posturing.” A preliminary autopsy shows that Benedict’s death was not the result of trauma
Officers explained that if the teen were to press charges, the court would consider the altercation as a mutual fight, as Benedict started the altercation by throwing water.
Their mother called 911 the next day after Benedict returned home and said the teen’s breathing was shallow the hands ‘pose’, referring to an involuntary movement that indicates abnormal brain activity.
Paramedics who responded to the family’s home performed CPR and rushed Benedict to the hospital, where they later died.
According to a preliminary autopsy, Benedict’s death does not appear to be the result of injuries sustained during the battle.
“While the investigation into the altercation continues, preliminary information from the medical examiner’s office is that a full autopsy has been performed, which indicates that the decedent did not die as a result of trauma,” Owasso police said in a statement declaration.
The official autopsy report will be available at a later date.
A candlelight vigil was held Friday evening in Huntington Beach to commemorate Benedict’s life.