The Vote Comes Just Weeks After Governor Stitt Signed A Bill Banning Transgender Students From Playing Sports Consistent With Their Gender Identity

OKLAHOMA CITY– Today, The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) — the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) civil rights organization — condemned passage by the Oklahoma State House of Representatives of S.B. 1100, a bill that would eliminate inclusive gender markers from official documents. S.B. 1100 which passed the Oklahoma State Senate just two weeks ago, will now head to Governor Stitt’s desk – just one step away from becoming law. Already this year, Governor Stitt has signed legislation, S.B. 2 that prohibits transgender students from playing school sports consistent with their gender identity. It excludes all transgender girls from participating in school athletics, increasing their isolation and denying them the social, physical and emotional benefits of sports. It does so despite the fact that banning transgender girls from participating in school sports programs solves nothing and in fact causes great harm. These bills passed by the Oklahoma Senate would also be against the views of a majority of Oklahomans as new polling from PRRI shows that 75% of Oklahomans support expanding LGBTQ+ rights including protections from discrimination.

Human Rights Campaign State Legislative Director and Senior Counsel Cathryn Oakley issued the following statement in reaction to today’s vote:

“Governor Stitt and the anti-equality legislators in the Oklahoma State House have been relentless in their attack on LGBTQ+ rights, and particularly for transgender people. Prohibiting non-binary identity markers is just another attempt to erase the identity of transgender and non-binary people. This goes against the views of the vast majority of Oklahomans, and people across the country. S.B. 1100 is another display of hyperpartisan and radical policy making by legislators hoping to legislate discrimination to win over their radical base. The Human Rights Campaign has repeatedly stood up to these attacks and is demanding that Governor Stitt veto this legislation if it gets to his desk.”

The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people. HRC envisions a world where LGBTQ+ people are embraced as full members of society at home, at work and in every community.