Nationally unprecedented slate of 25 discriminatory bills filed in Oklahoma

Additionally, there is a proposed Joint House Resolution that would put the right to discriminate on the ballot.

Oklahoma City – For the second year in a row a handful of Oklahoma state legislators have lead the nation in introducing legislation aimed at taking rights away from LGBTQ Oklahomans.

In a year where our state is facing a billion dollar budget shortfall, legislators are pushing over two-dozen bills that – if passed – are guaranteed to cost the taxpayers of Oklahoma millions of dollars in litigation fees, just to make the point that they don’t believe gay and transgender Oklahomans should be considered equal in the eyes of the law. (See list with links at the bottom of this release.)

The bills range from barring educators from helping LGBTQ students in distress, to barring transgender people from using public restrooms, to a bill promoting child abuse the discredited practice of so-called “conversion therapy.” And that is but a handful.

"These hateful attacks have no place in a society that prides itself on the values of equality and freedom," said Ryan Kiesel, Executive Director for the Oklahoma ACLU.

"Legislative leaders have shown us that that they can exercise their authority and kill these bills tomorrow. We call on them to not only kill these bills again, but to publicly add their voice to the fight against bigotry.

"Make no mistake, any failure by legislative leadership to speak out against these intolerant measures will mark them as co-conspirators in this discriminatory campaign against LGBTQ Oklahomans and their allies."

Kiesel is a former legislator from Oklahoma.

In addition to this slate of hateful legislation, there is also a proposed Joint House Resolution that would put the right to discriminate on the ballot. Creating a firestorm worse that what was seen in Indiana last year and in Arizona the year before.

There is no single piece of legislation that would be more damaging to the business future of a state already on the brink of economic collapse. According the Associated Press, the fall out on Indiana’s economy from last years discrimination bill was over $60,000,000.

Freedom Oklahoma is working with a broad coalition of local, statewide, and national organizations including the ACLU of Oklahoma and the Human Rights Campaign, as well as clergy, corporations, small business owners, and concerned voters from across the state.

“For the second year in a row a handful of Oklahoma legislators have decided to engage in the politics of distraction rather than attempting to address the real problems of our state, such as a budget shortfall set to exceed a billion dollars," said Freedom Oklahoma executive director, Troy Stevenson.

"Our community will not sit idly by while an agenda of discrimination is unleashed. We will be present, we will force lawmakers to look us in the eye and we not rest until this agenda of hate is stopped once and for all.”

Yesterday, the Associated Press reported the economic impact of Indiana's discriminatory legislation resulted in over $60 million in lost revenue.

Here are the bills as they stand in the Oklahoma Legislature:

OK	SB811	Marriage requirements; creating exception to certain licensing requirement. Effective date.	coauthored by Roberts (Sean) (principal House author)	02/10/2015	Nathan Dahm, Sean Roberts
OK	SB1289	Local governments; prohibiting municipalities and counties from enacting rules not conforming to state statutes. Effective date.	Authored by Senator Brecheen	02/01/2016	Josh Brecheen
OK	SB21	Schools; creating the Religious Viewpoints Antidiscrimination Act. Effective date. Emergency.	Event	02/24/2015	Mark Allen, John Bennett, Jeff Coody, Dan Fisher, Sally Kern, Scooter Park, Mike Ritze, Todd Russ
OK	SB440	Creating Oklahoma Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 2015; repealing the Oklahoma Religious Freedom Act. Emergency.	Second Reading referred to Judiciary	02/03/2015	Joseph Silk
OK	SB723	Oklahoma Religious Freedom Act; authorizing certain actions and relief. Effective date.	Second Reading referred to Judiciary	02/03/2015	Josh Brecheen
OK	SB724	Covenant marriage; establishing procedures for certain marriage. Effective date.	Second Reading referred to Judiciary	02/03/2015	Joseph Silk
OK	HB1663	Marriage; creating the Marriage Act of Oklahoma; effective date.	Second Reading referred to Rules	02/03/2015	Sally Kern
OK	HB2215	Marriage; requiring marriage applicant to report if they have undergone sex reassignment surgery; effective date.	Second Reading referred to Judiciary and Civil Procedure	02/03/2015	Mike Ritze
OK	SB973	Marriage; Preservation of Sovereignty and Marriage Act. Emergency.	Second Reading referred to Judiciary Committee then to Appropriations Committee	02/02/2016	Josh Brecheen
OK	SB898	Oklahoma Religious Freedom Act; authorizing certain actions and relief. Effective date.	Second Reading referred to Judiciary	02/02/2016	Josh Brecheen
OK	HJR1059	Constitutional amendment; providing protections for entities and individuals that refuse certain acts which violate a sincerely held religious belief; ballot title; filing.	Authored by Representative McCullough	02/01/2016	Mark McCullough
OK	SB805	Marriage; creating the Preservation of Sovereignty and Marriage Act; marriage licensing. Emergency.	Second Reading referred to Judiciary	02/04/2015	Josh Brecheen
OK	SB669	Declaration of marriage; establishing procedures for recording and filing of certain declaration. Effective date.	Second Reading referred to Judiciary	02/03/2015	Nathan Dahm
OK	SB478	Marriage; Protection of Religious Freedom in the Sanctity of Marriage Act of 2015; ceremonial services; codification. Effective date. Emergency.	Second Reading referred to Judiciary	02/03/2015	Corey Brooks
OK	SB610	Re-codifying 51 O.S. 2011, Sections 251 through 258, which relate to the Oklahoma Religious Freedom Act. Effective date.	Second Reading referred to Judiciary	02/03/2015	Josh Brecheen
OK	HB3049	Schools; requiring school districts to adopt a student physical privacy policy; effective date; emergency.	Authored by Representative Kern	02/01/2016	Sally Kern
OK	HB1598	Counseling; creating the Parental and Family Rights in Counseling Protection Act; emergency.	Authored by Senator Brecheen (principal Senate author)	02/25/2015	John Bennett, Josh Brecheen, Sally Kern
OK	SB1323	Schools; directing the withholding of State Aid if a Board of Education adopts certain policy and receives certain complaint. Effective date. Emergency.	Authored by Senator Brecheen	02/01/2016	Josh Brecheen
OK	SB733	Infectious diseases; requiring submission of certain documents prior to issuance of marriage license. Effective date.	Second Reading referred to Judiciary	02/04/2015	Anthony Sykes
OK	SB1328	Right of conscience; creating the Oklahoma Right of Conscience Act. Effective date.	Authored by Senator Silk	02/01/2016	Joseph Silk
OK	HB1371	Oklahoma Religious Freedom Act; prohibiting state or subdivision from making certain claim under certain action; effective date.	Coauthored by Representative(s) McCullough	02/25/2015	Mark McCullough, Chuck Strohm
OK	HB1599	Marriage; creating the Preservation of Sovereignty and Marriage Act; emergency.	Authored by Senator Brecheen (principal Senate author)	02/18/2015	John Bennett, Josh Brecheen, Sally Kern
OK	HB3044	Schools; prohibiting certain referrals or providing information to students without notifying parents or guardians; effective date; emergency.	Authored by Representative Kern	02/01/2016	Sally Kern
OK	HB1125	Marriage licenses; deleting issuance of marriage licenses; providing for marriage certificates and affidavits of common law marriage; effective date.	Second Reading referred to Rules	03/18/2015	John Bennett, Todd Russ, Anthony Sykes
OK	SB1014	Public health; prohibiting use of certain facilities under certain circumstances. Effective date.	Second Reading referred to Health and Human Services	02/02/2016	Joseph Silk
OK	HB1597	Business; permitting business entities to refuse services to certain persons or groups; effective date.	Second Reading referred to Rules	02/03/2015	Sally Kern

Freedom Oklahoma is Oklahoma's statewide LGBT advocacy organization and a proud member of the Equality Federation. Freedom Oklahoma is the unified organization resulting from the merger of The Equality Network, a 501(c)4 organization that lobbies for pro-equality legislation and public policies; and the Cimarron Alliance Foundation, a 501(c)3 organization that engaged in public education in support of the LGBT community.

The Gayly - 1/26/2016 @10;02 am CST

Politics

oklahoma legislature