Our children don’t need to be saved, they need to be educated
How do we balance these multiple attacks on multiple fronts? The manufactured outrage around a principal performing drag, the very real threat of harm of a new wave of indoctrination-based materials entering Oklahoma classrooms, the ongoing threats to Tulsa Public Schools accreditation status and resignation of TPS Superintendent Dr. Deborah Gist. We do our best to acknowledge the ways these attacks are designed to overwhelm us, we uplift calls to action happening from communities most impacted, and we note that these tactics are not novel–we’ve fought these fights before. And won.
Freedom Oklahoma responds to announcement Gov Stitt will sign transmisogynist Executive Order Tuesday Aug 1
After another special session convening in which Governor Stitt saw his vetoes overridden, the trans exclusionary organization Independent Women’s Voice issued a press release announcing that Governor Stitt will hold a ceremonial signing of an Executive Order on Tuesday 8/1, to uphold sex based discrimination in Oklahoma, with language similar to the language that we saw move in SB 408 and HB 1449 from Senator Garvin and Representative Hasenbeck this session.
Statement on the 303 Creative SCOTUS decision
Freedom Oklahoma statement on the 303 Creative SCOTUS decision
SB 613 Signed: trans youth healthcare update
SB 613 was signed into law last night. It’s intentionally cruel. The Senate used the lives and health of trans kids as a pawn in a political power game. And, as expected, the folks who lost are Two Spirit, trans, and gender nonconforming (2STGNC+) youth; medical providers; and families of 2STGNC+ kids. This sucks. It’s unquestionably awful. Monday night, after hours, when he hoped he could break the news instead of media, Governor Kevin Stitt signed SB 613, making a ban on transition-related physical healthcare for trans Oklahomans under 18 effective with an emergency. There is a six month tapering off period for people currently receiving care, and the promise of litigation we asked from litigation orgs to have ready for this very possibility. And we know that’s still too much harm and uncertainty to have to bear.
statement on the censure of Rep Mauree Turner
Rep Mauree Turner was censured by the Oklahoma House of Representatives on March 7, 2023. We made statements about the censure in real time across social media, and wanted to put that information into a blog post for people to access information about this undemocratic act meant to silence 2SLGBTQ+ Oklahomans.