What does 'gender-expansive' mean?
The death of 16-year-old Nex Benedict in the wake of a fight at a high school in Owasso, Oklahoma, has drawn widespread attention following reports that the teen was long bullied for their gender identity, which friends have described as "gender-expansive."
But what does gender-expansive mean? According to national LGBTQ+ advocacy group PFLAG, it's an umbrella term for people who don’t align with traditional gender categories, or who expand ideas of gender expression or identity.
A lot of questions involving Nex's death remain unanswered. Investigations have yet to reveal whether the altercation involved Nex’s gender identity, but friends of Nex said students had bullied the teen for their gender identity in recent months. And as more young people redefine gender boundaries, the risk of violence and its effects on people like Nex are ever-present in the minds of communities, families and schools.