To donate by check, phone, or other method, see our More Ways to Give page.

×
      LATEST NEWSOPINIONCLIMATEECONOMY POLITICS RIGHTS & JUSTICEWAR & PEACE
      LATEST NEWS
      OPINION

      oklahoma

      People hold signs at a protest for transgender rights in Washington, D.C.

      Rights Groups Gear Up for Fight as Oklahoma GOP Pushes 15 Anti-Trans Healthcare Bills

      "Enacting an ideological agenda driven by ignorance and prejudice, instead of science and compassion, is not the way forward."

      Julia Conley
      Feb 02, 2023

      Civil rights advocates on Thursday sharpened their focus on the Republican-controlled Oklahoma Legislature as lawmakers prepare to convene on February 6, beginning a session during which they're set to consider no fewer than 15 proposals attacking transgender people's right to obtain healthcare.

      The state is at the forefront of a nationwide assault on transgender rights, with lawmakers planning to bring up for debate bills including the so-called Save Adolescents from Experimentation Act (S.B. 878), which would prohibit gender-affirming healthcare for adolescents; the Millstone Act of 2023 (S.B. 129), which would expand that proposed ban to transgender people up to age 26; and S.B. 250, which would threaten providers who accept Medicaid with a loss of reimbursement funds if they provide gender-affirming care.

      Keep ReadingShow Less
      News
      anti-transgender legislation
      Demonstrators protest for transgender rights

      Dozens of New State Bills Show 'Startling Evolution' of Anti-Trans Legislation

      "The one thing that we do know is that when we have shown up in the past, when we have shown up in state capitols, which trans people and those who love us always do, we have been able to beat these bills," said one advocate.

      Julia Conley
      Jan 07, 2023

      Just one week into 2023, state legislatures across the United States are already planning to consider more than two dozen bills aiming to cut off transgender people's access to healthcare, with adults as well as minors targeted.

      The legislation that was introduced or pre-filed in the first week of the year includes Senate Bill 129 in Oklahoma, which is set to be formally introduced in the state Senate in early February. The pre-filed legislation would ban all gender-affirming surgery for people under the age of 26, indicating, according to researcher Erin Reed, that the previously "hypothetical escalation" of transition bans for adults is now in motion.

      Keep ReadingShow Less
      News
      anti-transgender legislation
      Benjamin Cole Oklahoma

      Oklahoma Inmate Facing Execution After Supreme Court Rejects Appeal

      Benjamin Cole's attorneys argue he is severely mentally ill and his condition has worsened in prison.

      Brett Wilkins
      Oct 19, 2022

      The United States Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected an eleventh-hour appeal by a severely mentally ill Oklahoma death row inmate scheduled to be executed by lethal injection Thursday.

      Lawyers for Benjamin Cole, a 57-year-old sentenced to death for murdering his 9-month-old daughter Brianna Cole in 2002, do not deny that he killed the infant. However, they argue that his severe mental illness and brain damage--which they say have worsened during his imprisonment--are grounds for stopping his execution.

      Keep ReadingShow Less
      News
      Rights & Justice
      SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER
      Quality journalism. Progressive values. Direct to your inbox.
      Follow Us
      Most Popular

      3 Children, 3 Adults Killed in Shooting at Christian Elementary School in Nashville

      'The Billionaire Bailout': FDIC Chair Says the Biggest Deposit Accounts at SVB Held $13 Billion

      'Noah's Wounds Were Not Survivable': Parents Allow Detailed View of AR-15 Carnage

      Internet Archive to Appeal 'Chilling' Federal Ruling Against Digital Books

      Trump Rally in Waco Called Not a Dog Whistle, But a 'Blaring Air Horn' to Far-Right

      Progressives Slam House Passage of GOP Book Banning Bill That Turns Children Into 'Pawns'

      Biden Urged to Crack Down on 'Terrifying' Use of AI by Medicare Advantage Insurers

      The Rule of Law Being Eviscerated by Republican Judges

      GOP Voters Keep Backing Trump Because He Hates the 'Right' People

      'Shocking and Immoral': Report Details Private Equity's Stranglehold on US Healthcare

      SUPPORT OUR WORK.
      We are independent, non-profit, advertising-free and 100%
      reader supported.