Oklahoma has been a major leader in the conservative side of the culture war in America.
The state has passed some of the most prominent Pro-Life legislation on the books today.
And now Oklahoma lawmakers are taking major action to shut down this left-wing cultural institution.
Oklahoma has been a leader in Pro-Life legislation
When the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, some states steered clear of wading into the issue over fear of cultural kickback.
But Oklahoma was a leader and they quickly signed legislation to ban abortion in the state.
Attorney General O’Connor celebrated the ruling by declaring it a victory for his “first major act” in office.
“After almost 50 years, and after the deaths of over 60 million children in America, the U.S. Supreme Court finally returned policy making on this life and death issue to the people,” he said.
Governor Kevin Stitt echoed his remarks by saying that this issue was important to Oklahomans and that it drove the people to choose him as their Governor.
“I promised Oklahomans that I would sign every Pro-Life bill that came across my desk. I am thrilled to have kept that promise to get us to where we are today and I am proud to be called America’s most Pro-Life Governor,” Stitt said in a statement.
Now Oklahoma is making a patriotic move.
“Patriotism Not Pride” bill places restrictions on government funds
The Oklahoma House Committee on State Powers approved the “Patriotism Not Pride” bill earlier this month.
The purpose of the bill is to stop state funds and agencies from promoting Pride Month and other LGBTQ agendas in Oklahoma.
Under the bill, agencies would be barred from using state funds to “develop, organize, administer, engage in, promote, or endorse any activity, including any event, initiative, official communication, social media post, educational program, or public campaign that aims to promote Pride Month or any event with a similar theme.”
The bill would explicitly include the term “state funds” to prevent the state from using donations from non-governmental organizations and private individuals.
If signed into law, lawmakers would use an emergency declaration that would allow for the law to take effect before the month of June.
Oklahoma “can’t ban us or disappear us”
Critics of the bill warned that it was an effort to infringe on the rights of Oklahomans.
LGBTQ activist Nicole McAfee said that it was “clearly designed to chill speech” in the state.
“We’re everywhere—small towns, big cities, on tribal land, and everywhere in between,” she said, before adding that the state “can’t ban us or disappear us.”
Representative Kevin West introduced the bill because he believes that “Oklahoma taxpayer dollars should not be used to promote or recognize activities that are not in line with the values of most Oklahomans.”
McAfee says that West has an “obsessive focus on targeting” the LGBTQ community.
West responded to his critics saying that the bill is written in a way that only stops taxpayers from supporting an agenda that they don’t feel comfortable with.
“These groups would still have the freedom to express their views or opinions or tell the world about their lifestyle choices, they would simply not be able to use state resources to do so,” he said.
Patriot Political will keep you up-to-date on any developments to this ongoing story.
