GLAAD RELEASES ANTI-LGBTQ RECORDS OF OKLAHOMA GOVERNOR KEVIN STITT AND STATE EDUCATION SUPERINTENDENT RYAN WALTERS IN THE WAKE OF THE BATHROOM BEATING AND DEATH OF 16-YEAR-OLD NEX BENEDICT

GLAAD: “Oklahoma’s top leaders have a documented history of baseless legislation and harmful rhetoric against vulnerable students like Nex Benedict, a record that endangers students and does nothing to improve education. Policies that exclude and smear people make every student, family and community less safe. Reporters need to ask them what they’ve done and will do to create safe learning environments for everyone. Every American must demand that elected officials stop using their offices to target children and work to protect them instead.”

(New York, NY – Friday, February 23, 2024) GLAAD, the world’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) media advocacy organization, is releasing the LGBTQ records of Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt and his former Education Secretary, current Superintendent of Public Instruction, Ryan Walters.

Both Gov. Stitt and Superintendent Walters spoke out on Thursday, February 22nd, about the February 8th death of Nex Benedict, a nonbinary student from Owasso, Oklahoma. Nex was brutally beaten in an attack in the school bathroom and died the next day. Nex’s mother said Nex had been bullied for over a year at the school, and had to take Nex to the hospital for treatment after the assault and call police to investigate.

Stitt called the death “a tragedy” and Walters, in his first comments about Nex, offered thoughts and prayers to the family and school community, promising “we’re gonna do what we can to ensure student safety, to learn from it.”

Stitt was not asked about his record against LGBTQ people, nor did coverage of his comments include it. Walters’ record was brought up by a former high school principal at the board hearing yesterday: “Could (a contribution to Nex’s death) be having the superintendent of public schools put out a video that called trans and nonbinary students quote, ‘A threat’ to school safety?”

Gov. Kevin Stitt’s anti-LGBTQ record is documented here.
Ryan Walters’ anti-LGBTQ record is documented here.

Statement from GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis:
“Oklahoma’s top leaders have a documented history of baseless legislation and harmful rhetoric against vulnerable students like Nex Benedict, a record that endangers students and does nothing to improve education. Reporters need to ask them what they’ve done and will do to create safe learning environments for everyone. Policies that exclude and smear people make every student, family and community less safe. Every American must demand that elected officials stop using their offices to bully children and work to protect them instead.”

Stitt’s actions as governor that specifically target LGBTQ youth:

—Signed law restricting access to public-school bathrooms

—Signed law banning health care for transgender people under 18. Every major medical association and leading world health authority supports health care for transgender youth.

—Signed law that bans transgender girls and women from school sports. In addition, Oklahoma public schools now require all students from kindergarten to college to complete “biological sex affidavits” to be eligible, an invasive, inaccurate, unnecessary, and costly barrier that limits participation and endangers every female student.

—Signed an executive order that defunds diversity, equity, and inclusion offices and programs in state agencies, including public colleges.

—Signed a bill that would prohibit Oklahomans from obtaining nonbinary gender markers on official documents

Walters’ record includes:

– Released inaccurate and inflammatory video from the state education department falsely describing transgender students as a threat in schools. Transgender students are three times more likely to miss school than other students, are more likely to report feeling unsafe at school and being bullied, and face a higher risk of sexual assault in locker rooms and bathrooms that don’t match gender identity.

—Led the Oklahoma State Board of Education in approving a permanent rule change that prohibits school districts and local schools from altering sex or gender designations in student records without the board’s authorization and regardless of the will of the student or the consent of the student’s guardians. A lawsuit is pending in federal court.

—Advocates for book bans, including at this week’s board hearing, falsely describing LGBTQ-inclusive books as “pornographic” and that they “push transgenderism,” a term frequently weaponized to diminish or eliminate transgender identity and the existence of transgender people throughout history.

—Appointed Chaya Raichik, the founder of anti-LGBTQ social media account Libs of TikTok, to a state Library Media Advisory Committee. Raichik’s account posts disinformation about LGBTQ people and allies, and some posts have reportedly preceded dozens of bomb threats to schools in Oklahoma as well as libraries and children’s hospitals nationwide. Raichick is not an educator, is not an Oklahoma resident, and does not have children in Oklahoma schools.

—Pinned to his Twitter/X profile is a promo for his interview with the president of The Heritage Foundation, a longstanding anti-LGBTQ national organization that continues to advocate against marriage equality, acceptance of transgender people, and has promised continued targeting of LGBTQ Americans and youth in public education.

—Repeated the debunked lie about “litter boxes” in schools.

—Sent a memo to textbook publishers saying he will reject any books if they contain definitions or terms contrary to Gov. Kevin Stitt’s executive order “Women’s Bill of Rights.” The definitions in the governor’s order exclude transgender, nonbinary, or intersex people. Without basis Walters said, “Radical gender ideology has no place in our classrooms… The radical left’s attempt to diminish women will not work in Oklahoma.”

— Had Oklahoma taxpayers fund travel expenses for speaking engagements and media appearances with anti-LGBTQ groups Moms for Liberty and Heritage Foundation, as well as a premiere for an anti-abortion horror movie. According to The Frontier, Walters expensed the trips despite an order from the Governor’s office banning public spending for most out-of-state travel. Walters also reimbursef expenses for meetings with bookers from Fox News in Washington, DC, and for media appearances on talk shows affiliated with the conspiracy-fueled Epoch Times.

Additional background

• ACLU is tracking 55 anti-LGBTQ bills in Oklahoma, which is leading the nation for targeting LGBTQ people this legislative session, and include bills that endanger LGBTQ students such as forced outings and additional classroom censorship.
• The FBI reported that from 2018 to 2022, the number of hate crimes in schools nearly doubled. Research from GLAAD and the Center on Extremism counted 700+ anti-LGBTQ incidents of extremism including violence, assaults, murders, or vandalism last year.