OKLAHOMA CITY — In response to Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt signing SB 615, a shucked bill by Representative Danny Williams and Senator David Bullard that bans youth from using the restroom consistent with their gender identity, the ACLU of Oklahoma issued the following response:
The following is attributable to Tamya Cox-Touré, Executive Director:
“Transgender people are part of our families, our workplaces, and our neighborhoods, and they, like everyone else, need to be able to safely access restrooms. By singling out transgender students for discrimination and excluding them from restrooms that match their gender identity, SB 615 discriminates based on transgender status and sex in violation of the United States Constitution and Title IX of the Civil Rights Act. These violations put Oklahoma at risk of losing hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding, and harms transgender youth, all to solve a problem that plainly does not exist."
"Transgender students already live and go to school in our state. They go to the restroom just like everyone else, and their presence harms no one. SB 615 has and will continue to cause severe harms to transgender students who are just trying to live their lives and go to school alongside their peers.”
“All of us, regardless of our race, the amount of money that we have, or our gender, want to be able to live safely as who we are and thrive in the world. The ACLU of Oklahoma will continue to fight for the thousands of trans children and youth across Oklahoma.”
