Trans Rights Protesters Occupying Oklahoma Capitol Building Sparks Debate
Oklahoma Daily, around 150 people entered the building on Monday, protesting two bills introduced to the state senate that would restrict gender-related healthcare.
Many sported trans flags and held placards that carried phrases including "we are not a threat so stop making us a target" and "stop healthcare bans on trans."Footage taken by Nick Camper, a reporter for local news channel KFOR, shows activists chanting "trans lives matter" in the main atrium of the capitol.
In other clips, they can be seen shouting "protect trans kids" and "we are Oklahoma." Later, protesters appear on balconies on the floors above chanting: "This is our house."The protest comes in response to Senate Bill 129—which would ban gender reassignment surgery for those under 26 years of age—and Senate Bill 122, which would prohibit people under the age of 18 from undergoing medical treatment for gender reassignment.
Both bills were introduced by Republican state senators.The demonstration occurred on the same day that Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt gave his State of the State address, in which he endorsed Senate Bill 122. "As governor, I will never shy away from calling out right from wrong," he said in his speech. "I will not be intimidated by partisan interest groups or make decisions based on groupthink."Benjamin Patterson, a transgender man, told the Oklahoma Daily that the protest was "aiming to bring the community together," while Zephyr Cove, one of the demonstrators, said: "These kids shouldn't be forced to have to deny that just because the people around them won't listen to them."However, social media users have been quick to use the February 6 demonstration to draw parallels with the January 6, 2021, riots, insinuating that the trans.
