During a legislative forum in Oklahoma on Friday sponsored by the Tahlequah Area Chamber of Commerce, Sen. Tom Woods, R-Westville, commented on the death of 16-year-old nonbinary student Nex Benedict following an attack that took place on February 7 at Owasso High School, saying, "I represent a constituency that doesn't want that filth in Oklahoma," meaning gender fluidity, not apparent murder.
Joined by other area lawmakers in addressing the tragic event that is still under investigation, Woods said in an earlier statement that his "heart goes out, in that scenario, if that is the case," in reference to allegations that brute force on the part of three older girls who ganged up on Benedict in a bathroom at the school and banged their head against the floor may have caused them to black out and, ultimately, die in a local hospital a day later.
