OKLAHOMA CITY – Two high-profile Republicans on Monday strongly rebuked the remarks of a fellow Republican who last week called the LGBTQ+ community “filth.”
Senate President Pro Tem Greg Treat called remarks by Sen. Tom Woods, R-Westville, “reprehensible and inappropriate.”
“I am of the belief that all people are image-bearers of God and deserve to be treated with dignity and respect,” Treat, R-Oklahoma City, said. “His remarks were not in any way reflective of myself, the Senate Republican caucus, Senate leadership or the Senate overall. In my opinion, he had a serious lapse of judgment and it has distracted from the mission and good work we are attempting to advance on behalf of all Oklahomans.”
In a statement issued Monday afternoon, Woods said “I stand behind what I believe in.”
“The groups and individuals who push gender reassignment on children in our schools, and anyone else who is trying to normalize behavior that shouldn’t be tolerated, is unacceptable in my mind.”
He said his voting record “speaks for itself,” and he highlighted his support of legislation stopping gender-affirming care for minors and prohibiting males who have transitioned to female from participating in women’s sports.
“I will continue to push for a day when kids can be kids again and be free from the pressure of conforming to radical ideologies,” he said.
Woods on Friday called the LGBTQ+ community “filth” while answering questions during a public forum in Tahlequah.
Cathy Cott, a 64-year-old semi-retired resident, asked the lawmakers why the Legislature had such an obsession with the LGBTQ+ citizens of the state, what people do in their personal lives and how they raise their children, according to the Tahlequah Daily Press, which first reported the remarks.
When she got no answer, she asked about the bills targeting the LGBT community.
“We are a Republican state — supermajority — in the House and Senate,” Woods said. “I represent a constituency that doesn’t want that filth in Oklahoma.”
The newspaper reported several audience members clapped, while others appeared shocked.
“We are a religious state, and we are going to fight it to keep that filth out of the state of Oklahoma because we are a Christian state — we are a moral state,” Woods said. “We want to lower taxes and let people be able to live and work and go to the faith they choose. We are a Republican state, and I’m going to vote my district, and I’m going to vote my values, and we don’t want that in the state of Oklahoma."
Republican Labor Commissioner Leslie Osborn said Woods’ remarks were “horrifying.”
The remarks left her “disheartened, disappointed and disgusted,” said Osborn, a former House member.
She said a faction in the GOP has emerged that is characterized by hate and divisiveness.
“Sadly, with the erosion of the separation between church and state, government officials have overstepped their boundaries, legislating and preaching morality,” Osborn said.
Senate Minority Leader Kay Floyd, D-Oklahoma City, said Saturday that elected officials are held to a higher standard.
“Words have consequences, and this kind of conduct is unbecoming of an elected official,” Floyd said. “It is our duty to represent and protect everyone, and not make things worse.”
Editor’s note: This story was updated at 4:50 p.m. Monday to include comment from Woods.
