Oklahoma’s Millstone Act would deny minors under the age of 26 access to gender transition procedures and related referral services provided by medical professionals.
On Monday, a group of trans activists congregated at the Oklahoma Capitol to oppose legislation that would infringe upon children’s right to receive gender-affirming medical care. As they marched through the halls of power, their voices rang loud and clear: “Trans Lives Matter!”
On Monday, the Oklahoma legislative session commenced and legislators are set to deliberate on the Millstone Act which would “prohibit Oklahoma doctors from providing gender transition procedures or referral services relating to such procedures to anyone under the age of 26.”
“The bill would further authorize the state’s attorney general to enforce the act and those found guilty of violating it would be guilty of a felony and subject to license revocation,” says a release from state senator David Bullard, who sponsored the bill.
“Child abuse is a felony in our state and mutilating a young person’s genitalia should be viewed no differently. The Millstone Act will hold those who perform child mutilation accountable by making such activity a felony. Those guilty of such a heinous crime will be both legally and financially liable,” Bullard said.
Governor Kevin Stitt recently called for legislation that would prohibit gender transition surgeries and hormone therapies on minors in the state of Oklahoma during his State of the State address, emphasizing, “Send me a bill.”
Last year, Stitt signed legislation that prohibits biological males from participating in female athletics and requires single-sex bathrooms to stay separated based on a student’s assigned gender rather than their declared identity.
To put a stop to hormone therapy and gender transition surgery for minors, lawmakers have proposed seventeen distinct bills. What’s more, the use of ARPA funding by any medical provider that performs such treatment on children is strictly prohibited across the whole state.
In order to protect Oklahoma’s children from the medical repercussions of gender ideology, save women’s sports and safeguard female-only spaces, Brittany Novotny – a trans lawyer and activist – has created a Political Action Committee in an effort to obstruct this legislation. According to Novotny, Securing Liberty PAC is a testament to the GOP’s belief that laws restricting children go against their fundamental ideology of limited government.
According to Novotny, shielding children from sexually explicit drag content is simply a form of government intrusion in our personal lives.
“We’re not going to beat these bills by rehashing the same far-left rhetoric and playing victim,” Novotny said. “We’re going to defeat these bills by finding common ground with Republicans in the Legislature and helping them to see this isn’t necessarily the winning issue they think it is.”
House Bills 2736 and 2186 equate drag performances to strip club performances. HB 2186 says, “‘Adult cabaret performance’ means a performance in a location, other than an adult cabaret, that features topless dancers, go-go dancers, exotic dancers, strippers, drag queens or similar entertainers, who provide entertainment that appeals to the prurient interest, regardless of whether or not the performance is for consideration.”
HB 2736 states: “‘Drag performance’ means a performance in which a performer exhibits a gender identity that is different from the gender assigned to the performer at birth using clothing, makeup, or other physical markers and sings, lip syncs, dances, or otherwise performs before an audience for entertainment.”
On Tuesday, the legislative process for this bill is anticipated to commence in chambers.