GLAAD RESPONDS TO MORE DISINFORMATION AND IRRESPONSIBLE RHETORIC FROM OKLAHOMA SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION RYAN WALTERS

GLAAD: “Ryan Walters spreads lies that whip up bias and violence against LGBTQ people, and they are as phony and dangerous as Walters himself. LGBTQ people are in our families, workplaces, schools and places of worship, accepted for who we are, and supported in our right to be safe. Ryan Walters continues to expose himself as unfit to lead Oklahoma’s public schools. Instead of working to keep students safe and improve education, Walters repeatedly wastes taxpayer resources to desperately defend his own disastrous leadership and selfishly promote himself with an extremist agenda. With every word and move, Ryan Walters proves he is a failure as a public servant as he actively endangers children, families and people. Oklahoma deserves better. Ryan Walters must go.” 

(New York, NY, March 13, 2024) GLAAD, the world’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) media advocacy organization, is responding to additional dangerous and irresponsible rhetoric from Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction, Ryan Walters, in which he falsely defamed out educator Chasten Buttigieg and his accurate critique of Walters’ unqualified appointee Chaya Raichik.

The latest attack fits Walters’ pattern of using his position to spread disinformation about LGBTQ people and youth at taxpayer expense. GLAAD is documenting Walters’ record here, which includes:

• Falsely and harmfully denying the existence and long history of Two Spirit and gender expansive people including among Indigenous cultures in his own state, after the bullying, beating and death of Two Spirit Transgender Gender Nonconforming (2STGNC+) teenager Nex Benedict, who was of Choctaw heritage
• Pushing book bans, harassing educators who support the freedom to read, and appearing with extremist national book banning group Moms for Liberty, an appearance for which Walters billed Oklahoma taxpayers
• Producing and promoting videos that wrongfully and dangerously accuse transgender youth of being a threat in schools
• Spreading disinformation about accurate inclusive history in his state, including denying that the Tulsa Massacre was a racist attack

On Tuesday, GLAAD released an ad detailing Walters’ falsehoods and failures of leadership. View and embed the ad here and see news sources included in the ad below.

Also on Tuesday, Walters used false, defamatory and dangerously irresponsible rhetoric about Chasten Buttigieg, who was a teacher and is a best-selling author, advocate for LGBTQ students and all student safety, as well as a husband and parent.

Buttigieg had noted: “As a parent and former teacher, I want qualified people involved in education. This is actually quite simple. Chaya isn’t qualified for her appointed government position. She doesn’t live in Oklahoma. Holds no degree in education. Zero classroom experience. The rest is theatrics.”

Walters’ irresponsible, inaccurate and defamatory response: “In Oklahoma we will not be taking advice from someone who is actively indoctrinating kids.”

GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis responded on Twitter and here:
“Ryan Walters spreads lies that whip up bias and violence against LGBTQ people, and they are as phony and dangerous as Walters himself. LGBTQ people are in our families, workplaces, schools and places of worship, accepted for who we are, and supported in our right to be safe. Ryan Walters continues to expose himself as unfit to lead Oklahoma’s public schools. Instead of working to keep students safe and improve education, Walters repeatedly wastes taxpayer resources to desperately defend his own disastrous leadership and selfishly promote himself with an extremist agenda. With every word and move, Ryan Walters proves he is a failure as a public servant as he actively endangers innocent children, families and people. Oklahoma deserves better. Ryan Walters must go.”

Reported news of Walters’ failed leadership as utilized in ad:

The Norman Transcript (Norman, Oklahoma): Book, bathroom controversy highlighted in superintendent debate

Rolling Stone: Oklahoma Schools Are Fighting Back Against Porn-Obsessed Superintendent

Tulsa World: Oklahoma Department of Education video paints transgender students as threat to school safety

FOX 25 (Oklahoma City): State Superintendent backs restriction on altering student sex designation records

Wall Street Journal: He Taught AP History. Now He Targets Teachers for Being Too Woke.

KFOR (Oklahoma City): Supt. Walters travels for movie premiere, media appearances, more – Oklahoma foots the bill

Additional research:

• A Washington Post analysis of FBI data finds hate crimes on K-12 campuses more than quadrupled in states like Oklahoma that have passed restrictive laws against LGBTQ students.
• Calls to LGBTQ youth crisis hotlines have exploded: Rainbow Youth Project reported more than 3,300 crisis contacts in the first 2.5 months of 2024 from youth reporting distress and bullying in their schools and home states.
• GLAAD and the ADL Center on Extremism documented at least 700 anti-LGBTQ incidents over the last year including murders, violence, harassment and vandalism, including at least 19 in Oklahoma.
• 91% of non-LGBTQ Americans believe LGBTQ people should be able to live their lives and not be discriminated against, according to GLAAD’s 2023 Accelerating Acceptance Study.
• 96% of non-LGBTQ Americans agree that schools should be a safe and accepting place for all youth.
• ACLU is tracking nearly 500 legislative proposals in statehouses nationwide, targeting transgender youth health care, inclusive curriculum, school sports, access to the bathroom and accurate identity documents