Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt has signed an executive order that aims to restrict the rights of transgender people in the state. The order, which was signed on Tuesday, August 1, 2023, requires state agencies and boards to use specific definitions of the words “female” and “male” based on a person’s sex assigned at birth. It also defines the words “man,” “boy,” “woman,” “girl,” “father” and “mother” according to biological sex.
The order, which was dubbed “The Women’s Bill of Rights” by its supporters, also directs schools and other state entities to provide separate restrooms and locker rooms for boys and girls, respectively. The order was announced by Stitt at a press conference, where he was joined by women from the anti-trans group Independent Women’s Voice, including Riley Gaines, a former University of Kentucky swimmer who has criticized the NCAA for allowing transgender swimmer Lia Thomas to compete against her in a women’s championship race.
Stitt said that the order was a response to the “out-of-control gender ideology” that he claimed was eroding the foundation of society and harming real women. He said that Oklahomans were fed up with attempts to confuse the word “woman” and turn it into an ambiguous definition.
However, the order was met with strong opposition from transgender rights advocates and Democratic lawmakers, who denounced it as a discriminatory and unlawful attack on transgender people. Nicole McAfee, executive director of Freedom Oklahoma, which supports the rights of trans people, said that the order was neither about rights nor about protecting women, but rather a thinly veiled attack that codified discrimination against transgender women. House Democratic Leader Cyndi Munson accused Stitt of using partisan politics to further divide Oklahomans and infringe on their rights.
The order is the latest in a series of policies that target transgender people in Oklahoma, which is one of the most conservative states in the nation. Stitt has previously signed bills that ban transgender girls and women from playing on female sports teams, prohibit transgender children from using school bathrooms that match their gender identity, and criminalize health care workers who provide gender-affirming medical care for minors.
The order is also part of a growing trend in conservative states to enact laws and policies that limit the rights and freedoms of transgender people. According to the Human Rights Campaign, a national LGBTQ advocacy group, more than 100 anti-trans bills have been introduced in state legislatures across the country in 2023, many of them focusing on sports, health care, and education.
The order is expected to face legal challenges from civil rights groups and individuals who claim that it violates federal law and the Constitution. The Biden administration has issued guidance that states that discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation is prohibited under federal law, and has pledged to defend the rights of transgender people. Several lawsuits have already been filed against similar laws and policies in other states, such as Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi, and West Virginia.