Oklahoma Governor signs executive order to define sex, gender
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) - Governor Kevin Stitt signed a "Women’s Bill of Rights" into law by executive order Tuesday morning to define sex and gender, becoming the nation’s first governor to issue this type of measure.
“My governor is the first in the country to take executive action and say, ‘Not here, not in this state,’” said Summerland Cochran, Oklahoma business owner.
Lawmakers, both in the House and Senate, debated similar measures this year, but none of them ever made it to the Governor’s desk.
Governor Stitt says this executive order will clarify what he calls “unfounded confusion” surrounding the question “what is a woman?” and defines ‘sex’ as a "natural person’s biological sex," either male or female at birth.
"Oklahomans are fed up with the attempts to confuse the word woman and turn it into some kind of ambiguous, perverted definition that harms real women,” said Governor Stitt.
The order also defines the following terms:
- “Female” when used in reference to a natural person shall be defined as such a person whose biological reproductive system is designed to produce ova.
- “Male” when used in reference to a natural person shall be defined as such a person whose biological reproductive system is designed to fertilize the ova of a female.
- “Woman” and “girl” shall refer to natural persons who are female.
- “Man” and “boy” shall refer to natural persons who are male.
- “Mother” shall be defined as a female parent of a child or children as defined in 25 O.S. § 7.
- “Father” shall be defined as a male parent of a child or children as defined in 25 O.S. § 7.
- “Sex” when used in reference to a natural person shall be defined as that natural person’s biological sex, either male or female at birth.
- “Natural person” shall be defined as only those “persons” defined in 25 O.S. §16 who are human beings, to the exclusion of bodies politic or corporate.
The Governor adds his executive order also protects women-only spaces.
"No men are going to go into women's prisons in the state of Oklahoma,” said Governor Stitt. “No men in women's locker rooms. No men in women's bathrooms. No men in women's sports."
However, critics say the order does everything but protect women.
"What the governor signed today is really just setting us up for more sex-based discrimination in the state of Oklahoma and worse outcomes for women overall,” said Nicole McAfee, the Executive Director of Freedom Oklahoma.
McAfee issued the following statement Tuesday morning:
“Today Governor Stitt is going to claim he cares about women, while signing policy authored by an organization that has opposed both the Equal Rights Amendment and the Paycheck Fairness Act. This Executive Order is neither about rights, nor is it about protecting women. It is a thinly veiled attack on codifying discrimination against transgender women. This bill does not protect women, but instead opens the door for further civil rights violations that open all women to being harassed and targeted as they have their femininity assessed and judged by a public who feels increased permission to police gender. We know that this Executive Order, like the legislation we saw from this same organization this session, is not rooted in what is best for women or even clarity within the law, rather it is a blatant celebration of transmisogyny from the Governor’s office. Two Spirit, transgender, and gender nonconforming people have always been in Oklahoma. And we’ll always be here. While we won’t pretend to be surprised that the Governor is engaging in yet another blatant attacks on our community, we will continue to act with urgency towards the future where all 2SLGBTQ+ people have the safety to thrive.”
Governor Stitt said his office is prepared for any potential legal action it may face as a result of this order.