Together, we will win!

by Robin Dorner
Editor in Chief

Today at the Oklahoma state capitol, supporters of Freedom Oklahoma gathered for a press conference to announce their plans to stand up for anti-equality, anti-fairness and unconstitutional legislation.

Freedom Oklahoma is the the newly formed Oklahoma equality group merged from The Equality Network and Cimarron Alliance.

“This piece[s] of legislation is not just an attack on the LGBT community, it’s an attack on every fair-minded Oklahoman. It is basically a re-institution of segregation. Except this time the gay community won’t have a water fountain sitting there, it’ll be “straights only,” said Troy Stevenson, Executive Director of the newly formed group who's mission includes protections for the LGBT community.

Stevenson was referring to ten pieces of anti-gay legislation being proposed at the capitol for the 2015 session, in particular, three from Rep. Sally Kern: HB1597, HB 1598 & HB1599. These bills are not only aimed at taking away rights from the LGBT community, one of them would allow citizens to openly discriminate against any LGBT person, their organizations and associations.

Kern is not the only legislator to propose such legislation. In the Senate, SB 478 (Senator Corey Brooks R-43) proposes similar although not as harsh permission to discriminate against LGBT people, but only on the issue of marriage.

Rep. Todd Russ (R-55) introduced HB 1125, which would do away with state issued marriage licenses for all couples, gay or straight, and turn the issuance of marriage ‘certificates’ over to ministers, priests and rabbis. Couples would then register their certificates with the county clerk. Couples who choose not to have a religious ceremony could complete an ‘affidavit of common law marriage’ and file that with the county clerk.

Russ was quoted by The Oklahoman as saying “marriages are not supposed to be a government thing anyway.”

Further, HB 1007, authored Rep. David Brumbaugh (R-76), seeks to protect ministers from being forced by the state to perform same-sex marriages, even though the First Amendment already protects them from having to do that.

“What these legislators are focusing on is hate and fear when they should be focused on a $300 million dollar or more shortfall in our state budget that will cut essential state services to thousands of Oklahomans,” said Representative Emily Virgin (D-44). “They should be focused on Oklahomans who don’t have access to health care.”

"Freedom Oklahoma - along with our local and national partners – will not rest until all of this legislation is defeated. Together we are bigger. Together we are stronger. And together we will win!" Stevenson added in closing.

Read our full reports on the merger of The Equality Network and Cimarron alliance as well as our coverage of this legislation and much more in the February issue of The Gayly, on stands beginning this Wednesday.

Published by The Gayly at 11:22, 1/26/2015