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Families of transgender youth and their supporters are celebrating a small win after the ACLU and their legal team announced an agreement with the Oklahoma Attorney General to enforce a new law while litigation goes through the courts.
A bill signed into law by Republican Governor Kevin Stitt at the beginning of May, SB 613, makes it felony for doctors in the state to perform gender-affirming care on minors, taking the decision out of the hands of families and into the hands of the government.
Days after the bill became law, the ACLU, ACLU Oklahoma and Lamda Legal announced a lawsuit on behalf of families of trans youth, claiming the law violates the Constitution’s 14th Amendment. On Thursday, the plaintiffs gained a temporary victory as the state’s top prosecutor agreed not to enforce the new law until after a court rules on their preliminary injuction.
“We welcome this opportunity to preserve the rights of transgender adolescents and their families to access medically necessary health care while our challenge proceeds,” the three organizations said in a joint statement.
“SB 613 is a cruel intrusion by the state into the rights of families and their children’s doctors with grave costs for transgender adolescents across the state, and we remain confident the court will see through this unconstitutional attack on their rights and lives.”
Governor’s Office reacts to State AG agreement
Those impacted by the law and their supporters praised the agreement, including Oklahoma State Rep. Mauree Turner (HD 88), the state’s only nonbinary and Muslim lawmaker.
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond responded saying the agreement gives his office more time to mount the best defense of the law, according to Public Radio Tulsa.
Still, not everyone in state government was happy about the decision.
“This is disgusting and shameful,” Gov. Stitt’s outgoing communications director Carly Atchison posted on Twitter. “@GovStitt signed SB 613 into law to protect children and the fact that @Okla_OAG is now protecting leftist radials who want to mutilate children is sick,” she added, misspelling the word “radicals.”
ACLU Oklahoma urges state officials to abide by agreement
SB 613, a copycat bill being used by Republicans across the country, comes as conservative leaders appear to be battling over who can sign the most draconian laws against marginalized groups. For instance, Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, a 2024 presidential hopeful, has garnered intense outrage after signging a bill that gives law enforcement authority to take trans youth from their parents.
For the moment, however, ACLU Oklahoma and its partners want to make it clear that trans youth can continue to access gender-affirming care while the agreement holds.
“We expect all state officials to abide by this agreement while our motion is pending and stand ready to hold the State accountable and defend the rights of all trans Oklahomans, should any enforcement of SB 613 occur,” the joint statement read.
They’ve asked any person affected by these restrictions on gender-affirming care to reach out to intake@acluok.org or https://www.lambdalegal.org/helpdesk.