Nonbinary Oklahoma Lawmaker Censured For Protecting Trans Rights Activist During Protest
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma Republicans formally censured their nonbinary Democratic colleague Tuesday after state troopers said the lawmaker blocked them from questioning a transgender rights activist accused of assaulting a police officer during a protest over anti-trans legislation.
The party-line vote means Rep. Mauree Turner, who uses they/them pronouns, will be removed from all committee assignments unless the second-term lawmaker issues a formal apology, including to the Highway Patrol, which provides security at the Capitol complex.
Turner, the first openly nonbinary and Muslim person elected to the Legislature in Oklahoma, said Tuesday that won’t happen, as Republicans continue to work to strip away the rights of trans people.
“I think an apology for loving the people of Oklahoma is something that I cannot do,” said Turner, flanked by several Democratic colleagues. “It’s something that I actively refuse to do.”
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/nonbinary-oklahoma-lawmaker-censured-trans-rights_n_6408a998e4b0c62918dfec4d
