Transgender individuals in Oklahoma are experiencing the harmful effects of bills that target sex education, forcibly out trans youth in schools, and criminalize doctors who provide gender-affirming care. Many are reconsidering their long-term plans to stay in the state due to the hostile environment. Nile Glover, a 30-year-old trans woman, has already made the difficult decision to leave with her partner after feeling like a target when learning about a specific bill. She had always planned to leave Oklahoma eventually, but not under these circumstances. Nicole McAfee, the executive director of Freedom Oklahoma, believes that extreme bills are proposed intentionally, allowing legislators to later compromise without going as far as their original text.
There are at least 45 other state bills being tracked that target LGBTQ people, with a dozen aiming to restrict access to trans healthcare. SB 250 and SB 252 are two bills that would limit public funding for care for minors and are likely to pass this year. Additionally, HB 1011 would ban gender-affirming care for Oklahomans under the age of 21. These bills go against the recommendations of major medical associations that deem gender-affirming care as medically necessary for trans youth. The American Medical Association has repeatedly stated that it is inappropriate and harmful for politicians to interfere with this type of care.
Oklahoma has already rolled back access to care for some trans youth with the signing of SB 3 in October 2022. This bill blocked funding for gender-affirming care for minors at the state’s only children’s hospital, OU Health. Governor Kevin Stitt has made it clear that restricting this care for minors is a top priority, calling for a bill that bans all gender transition surgeries and hormone therapies for minors in Oklahoma.
Protesters, including trans Oklahomans, organizers, and policy advocates, gathered outside the state capitol building to rally against Stitt’s proposed future. The bills advancing in the state legislature contradict the recommendations of medical professionals and create a hostile environment for transgender individuals. The introduction of these bills has led many trans people in Oklahoma to reconsider their long-term plans and consider leaving the state. The fear of being targeted and the potential loss of access to vital healthcare has created a sense of urgency among the trans community.
