{"id":853872,"date":"2024-02-22T11:36:05","date_gmt":"2024-02-22T16:36:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/glaad.org\/?post_type=gap&p=853872"},"modified":"2024-02-26T12:22:49","modified_gmt":"2024-02-26T17:22:49","slug":"kevin-stitt","status":"publish","type":"gap","link":"https:\/\/glaad.org\/gap\/kevin-stitt\/","title":{"rendered":"Kevin Stitt"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u2014<\/span>Signed an executive order<\/span><\/a> in August 2023 putting the \u201cWomen\u2019s Bill of Rights\u201d into law. The order applies to government agencies including schools and state institutions, and stipulates definitions for certain terms, like \u201cman,\u201d \u201cboy,\u201d \u201cwoman,\u201d \u201cgirl,\u201d \u201cfather,\u201d and \u201cmother.\u201d The narrow definitions in the executive order exclude transgender, nonbinary, or intersex people. The order also directs schools and state institutions to adhere to these definitions when collecting certain statistics and requiring separate facilities for boys and girls. PBS reports that \u201cIt is based on model legislation from Independent Women\u2019s Voice, a far-right group focused on protecting \u2018women\u2019s single-sex spaces\u2019 by advancing anti-trans policy. After calling on states last year to adopt its suggested \u2018women\u2019s bill of rights,\u2019 versions were introduced in other states and the U.S. House and Senate.\u201d There is no evidence the bill has benefitted women\u2019s rights.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014<\/span>Signed<\/span><\/a> \u201cthe nation\u2019s strictest abortion ban\u201d in May 2022, making it a felony to perform an abortion punishable by up to ten years in prison. In February 2024, state lawmakers <\/span>proposed<\/span><\/a> further restrictions on over-the-counter emergency contraception and the legislation could include bans on birth control like IUDs. Lawmakers also proposed creating a database of patients who have had abortions. The sponsoring lawmaker said he drafted the bill with the <\/span>Alliance Defending Freedom<\/span><\/a>, which has advocated to legalize discrimination against LGBTQ employees, customers, people and youth, including health care bans and bans on school sports participation, as well as legislation banning abortion medication nationwide. The Alliance Defending Freedom is designated as an anti-LGBTQ hate group by the <\/span>Southern Poverty Law Center<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014<\/span>Signed<\/span><\/a> a bill in May 2023 banning transgender health care for people under 18, which could lead to criminal prosecution and imprisonment of medical providers. <\/span>Every major medical association<\/span><\/a> and leading world health authority supports health care for transgender people and youth.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014<\/span>Signed<\/span><\/a> a bill into law, the \u201cSave Women\u2019s Sports Act,\u201d that bans transgender girls and women from playing on female sports teams. NBC reports, \u201cBetween Jan. 1 and March 15 [of 2022], state lawmakers proposed a record 238 bills that would limit the rights of LGBTQ people\u2014or more than three per day\u2014with about half of them targeting transgender people specifically.\u201d Oklahoma public schools now require students from kindergarten to college to complete \u201c<\/span>biological sex affidavits<\/span><\/a>\u201d if they want to compete in school sports.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014Signed an <\/span>executive order<\/span><\/a> that defunds diversity, equity, and inclusion offices and programs in state agencies, including public colleges.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014<\/span>Signed<\/span><\/a> into law Senate Bill 615 into law, which restricts access to public-school bathrooms based on a person\u2019s sex assigned at birth. The legislation specifically prohibits transgender people from using the restroom that aligns with how they live their lives every day.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014<\/span>Signed Senate Bill 1100<\/span><\/a>, a bill that would prohibit Oklahomans from obtaining nonbinary gender markers on official documents, in 2022. Rep. <\/span>Mauree Turner<\/span><\/a>, the nation\u2019s first nonbinary lawmaker and a member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives, assumed office in 2021.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014<\/span>Appointed<\/span><\/a> high school history teacher Ryan Walters as State Education Secretary in September 2020. In 2023, removed Walters as Education Secretary after Walters <\/span>reportedly<\/span><\/a> attracted controversy \u201cfor his <\/span>rhetoric<\/span><\/a> about transgender students and so-called woke teachers, his <\/span>management<\/span><\/a> of the State Department of Education, and for drawing <\/span>two salaries<\/span><\/a> as an elected official and appointed cabinet member.\u201d Walters maintains his role as Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction, an elected position, from which he has repeatedly used his platform to advocate for book bans while falsely characterizing LGBTQ-inclusive books, affiliate himself with anti-LGBTQ extremists and organizations, and spread disinformation about LGBTQ people and educators who affirm LGBTQ people.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":435,"featured_media":853873,"template":"","categories":[139171,139163,138754,139170,139169,139167,138412,138409],"tags":[140073,122005],"region":[138601],"hashtag":[138636,139310,138638,138632],"class_list":{"0":"post-853872","1":"gap","2":"type-gap","3":"status-publish","4":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"category-education","7":"category-elections","8":"category-gaps","9":"category-hate-extremism","10":"category-healthcare","11":"category-legislation","12":"category-local-and-regional-news","13":"category-transgender","14":"tag-nex-benedict","15":"tag-oklahoma","16":"region-oklahoma","17":"hashtag-anti-transgender","18":"hashtag-healthcare","19":"hashtag-law","20":"hashtag-politics"},"aioseo_notices":[],"apple_news_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t