Sunday, October 24, 2021

Oklahoma Governor Condemns State's Issuance Of Non-Binary Birth Certificate

According to The Oklahoman, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt has reacted sharply to a legal settlement by the state's former attorney general. Under the settlement, a state district court in August ordered the State Health Department to reissue a birth certificate with a non-binary sex designation. Last week, Gov. Stitt issued a statement saying:

I believe that people are created by God to be male or female. Period. There is no such thing as non-binary sex and I wholeheartedly condemn the purported OSDH court settlement that was entered into by rogue activists who acted without receiving proper approval or oversight.

Oklahoma House Speaker Charles McCall contended that the settlement is invalid because state law requires any settlement that "substantially impacts the operation or programs of a state agency" be reviewed first by legislative leaders and the governor's office. A member of the legislature has already pre-filed a bill to prevent non-binary designations on birth certificates in the future. Oklahoma House Minority Leader Emily Virgin says she is disgusted by the Governor's statement. [Thanks to Scott Mange for the lead.]