Impact of Restrictive Laws on LGBTQ Hate Crimes in Schools

Nex Benedict was a nonbinary teenager living near Tulsa. Their family said they were bullied at school before their apparent suicide in February. Advocates warn that a wave of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation is putting more young people at risk. 

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Legislatures across the United States have passed a wave of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation. In Oklahoma, legislators have proposed more than 50 bills in 2024 alone, more than any other state according to the ACLU, restricting things like restroom access and sex education.

Last year, the state's Republican governor, Kevin Stitt, signed an executive order defining a person's sex as their biological sex at birth. 

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