A Republican state lawmaker amended a bill in committee this week to bring back a plan to prohibit mandatory training or counseling on gender or sexual diversity.
Senate Bill 627 dealt with the Red River Boundary Commission until Rep. Danny Williams (R-Seminole) replaced its language with that of House Bill 1888, which was laid over last month and missed the deadline to pass its chamber of origin amid a flood of objections from Oklahomans.
Rep. Cyndi Munson’s (D-Oklahoma City) objection to the amendment was ignored by House General Government Committee Chair Kevin West (R-Moore). Pushed by Munson and Rep. Denise Brewer (D-Tulsa) on not acknowledging the objection, West said the committee had already moved past the time for objections and on to questions on the bill.
Munson did not hold back questioning Williams on the bill.
"Representative, isn’t it true that a community in your district, the city of Konawa, don’t you all have ongoing water issues and in need of a new water plant and water lines in your city?" Munson said.
"Yes, we do," Williams said.
"Then why don’t you file pieces of legislation that have to do with actually addressing the needs of the basic necessities for your constituents as opposed to continuing to press a piece of legislation that’s very clear that not only do — our caucus does not appreciate it, your caucus does not appreciate it?" Munson said.
The ban on requiring gender or sexual diversity training or counseling applies to any entity receiving public funding or on public property, including schools. Rep. Dell Kerbs (R-Shawnee) told Williams he has concerns about how that might affect counselors who could be called on to help LGBTQ kids.
"If a counselor — which, I want them to be able to help these students in the school — how am I going to train them under the way this is worded?" Kerbs said.
Williams did not directly answer Kerbs’ question, instead suggesting talking about gender and sexuality shouldn’t fall to counselors.
"One of the things that I’m really concerned about is that we in society are willing to think that certain entities of government or education are better qualified to talk to our children than the parents are, and I’m opposed to that," Williams said.
The bill passed committee 6–2, with all Republican members in favor, and Munson and Brewer opposed.
House Democrats issued a statement on the legislation.
"We have quite honestly jumped through loopholes for bigotry to persist, while saying we didn't have the power to enforce a mask mandate at the Capitol. We are legislating our children into the closet. Diversity and inclusion trainings only help people and hold people accountable — they have never hurt anyone," said Rep. Mauree Turner (D-Oklahoma City), believed to be the nation's first nonbinary state legislator.
Turner said they are continuously misgendered by legislative colleagues despite trying to teach them.
LGBTQ advocacy group Freedom Oklahoma and ACLU of Oklahoma issued a statement condemning SB627.
"We’re saddened to see that certain members of the Legislature are so dedicated to making extreme attacks on Oklahoma’s women, girls, and LGBTQ2S+ populations that they are willing to circumvent their own procedure to do so. Hundreds of Oklahomans called and emailed their representatives to make clear this language is unacceptable," said Freedom Oklahoma Executive Director Allie Shinn.
"Human dignity is not conditional. Identities and their expression do not devalue or diminish the humanity or worth of any person, and when we better know and understand fully the identities of the people we learn with, work with, and who are served by our public bodies, we are better as a community and a state," said ACLU of Oklahoma Director of Policy and Advocacy Nicole McAfee.
