Oklahoma Senator Calls LGBTQ People 'Filth'

In my previous blog post I spoke about the murder of Nex Benedict, a nonbinary student at Owasso High School. I was originally only aware that Oklahoma’s superintendent for public schools was preaching anti-LGBTQ rhetoric. Now, upon reading more, I know that Tom Woods, Oklahoma’s senator, is far worse by a long shot. Having more power means that more of his words will be heard. Despite his fellow lawmakers reprimanding him for his words and speaking out against what he said, I still feel the need to address the horrific things and misinformation this man has spread.

During a legislative forum, Woods was asked about the limited rights of trans youth in Oklahoma (connecting to the death of Nex Benedict). He responded “We are a religious state. We are going to fight to keep that filth out of the state of Oklahoma because we’re a Christian state,” which is severely inappropriate. This is extremely disgusting to hear. This man is talking about human beings and talks about them as if they’re pests that must be exterminated. I’m fearful for any queer youth living in Oklahoma. 

Woods released a statement after receiving backlash from several Oklahomans. Stating, “Firstly, I want to say that a child losing their life is horrible. They were a victim of bullying and that is never okay. It is always a tragedy when someone loses their life,” but this isn’t where he stops. "I also want to say that I stand behind what I believe in. The groups and individuals who push gender reassignment on children in our schools, and anyone else who is trying to normalize behavior that shouldn’t be tolerated, is unacceptable in my mind,” is what he follows his statement with. You are allowed to believe what you want to believe, but this is also something that has to do with the identities of several people who are just trying to live their lives. Nothing is criminal about LGBTQ people, nothing is unacceptable. No one in their right mind is pushing gender reassignment, there is an extremely miniscule amount of people pushing it and I don’t stand with them. What I do stand for is children who feel that they are trans should be allowed to socially transition and get hormone blockers (at an acceptable age) after talking with a professional. Believing someone being themselves is unacceptable is an ugly way of thinking. He’s practically stating, “If you’re trans, you do not deserve respect or support”.

He then goes on to say, "This is an agenda that is being forced on Oklahoma kids. My voting record speaks for itself. I supported legislation to keep men out of women’s sports and to protect children from being mutilated by transition surgery before they can make an informed decision.” No child is being mutilated. The same thing could be said about babies getting circumcised, but you don’t hear conservative politicians talking about that like it’s mutilation. Not a single small child is getting top or bottom surgery, the youngest you can get top surgery is 16 but most have to wait to be 18+. This is a common occurrence I see with conservatives; they like to make up things to demonize trans healthcare. As a trans person myself, I know what it’s like to get gender-affirming care. To even be considered for testosterone I need to speak with a licensed therapist/psychiatrist that can diagnose me with gender dysphoria, I practically need to prove that I am trans, and that T will help me lead a better life. This isn’t even the surgery bit, that’s just the hormones. There’s been a common theme of these gender-affirming surgeries being labeled mutilation and that is extremely far from the truth. Children are not getting these surgeries. They have never been. There is no evidence to support his claims. No doctor would clear someone under the ages I stated above to get these surgeries.

Woods finishes off his statement with, "I will continue to push for a day when kids can be kids again and be free from the pressure of conforming to radical ideologies." Do you know what’s actually pressuring kids to conform to radical ideologies? You and a lot of radical conservatives and religious people, Tom. Tens of thousands of LGBTQ youth have been sent to conversion camps while under the age of 18. Over 4 in 10 LGBTQ youth are afraid their identity will negatively impact their future career. 28% of LGBTQ youth have reported homelessness/housing instability at some point in their lives. LGBTQ people are pressured by so many radical ideologies but not by the ones who support them. It’s people like Woods who are pushing ideologies; It’s the people that actively call for the erasure and extermination of queer individuals. 

Once again, spread the word. Use my words as fuel to keep fighting. We as allies and LGBTQ individuals need to keep strong. The stronger we are, the less power people like Woods will have. Protest, post informative content, spread the word. Do whatever you’d like to keep the fight going. Even what seems like nothing is still something, you are doing what you can and that is enough.