Freedom Oklahoma responds to Press Event Launching Latest Gubernatorial Attack on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Oklahoma
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 13, 2023
Freedom Oklahoma responds to Press Event Launching Latest Gubernatorial Attack on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Oklahoma
Oklahoma City, OK – Tuesday afternoon the Governor’s office invited press to attend a Wednesday morning executive order event described as “taking aim” at programs and positions that address working across lines of difference, understanding and addressing privilege, building belonging, and creating actionable work towards workplaces, learning spaces, and a future Oklahoma where everyone has an equal opportunity to thrive, work that is often summed up with the acronym DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion). This attack on diversity, equity, and inclusion comes at a time when hate motivated violence is on the rise across the country. It is the latest of this administration’s attempts not only to create a further hostile environment in state work spaces and on university campuses, but also to mandate that only certain views on race, gender, and sexuality will be tolerated. On the signing of this executive order, Freedom Oklahoma issued the following statement:
“The governor says his executive order is about removing politics from campuses, but diversity, equity, and inclusion is only political for those who feel attacked by being asked to confront the ways their identities have granted them privilege that allows them to uphold the status quo at the expense of historically marginalized and excluded groups. This executive order chills speech and adds to the increasingly hostile work environment for historically marginalized and excluded community members. Whether someone is working a state job, or enrolled on a college campus in Oklahoma, diversity, equity, and inclusion programs are essential to advancing our state. We all deserve honesty and the chance to focus on solutions that reckon with our past to create a better future,” said Nicole McAfee, Executive Director of Freedom Oklahoma. “In comments that ranged from willful ignorance to anti-Indigenous in nature, it did not go unnoticed that the governor did not even mention 2SLGBTQ+ equity and inclusion, despite data that acknowledges 2SLGBTQ+ folks live, work, and study throughout the state. Two Spirit, transgender, and queer people have always been in Oklahoma. And we’ll always be here. We need to have honest conversations about 2SLGBTQ+ history, Black history, Indigenous history, and our continued presence in the state in order to address the root causes of injustice and discrimination. On college campuses, in state agencies, and beyond.”
Pronouns: Nicole McAfee, they/she
Freedom Oklahoma is the state's only dedicated 2SLGBTQ+ advocacy organization, and works each day to build a future where all 2SLGBTQ+ people have the safety to thrive. You can learn more about Freedom Oklahoma at https://www.freedomoklahoma.org/.
###
You can read the Governor’s Executive Order 2023-31 here