OKLAHOMA CITY (LifeSiteNews) — On February 28, a trans activist wearing a “pride” flag screamed himself hoarse in the stairwell of the Oklahoma State Capitol and fought with police after dumping water on state Rep. Bob Culver and another state legislator. Other protestors followed as he was removed from the Capitol. Culver released a statement announcing that he would be pressing charges to ensure that there would be consequences for the assault of a police officer.
Chris Elston, the dad activist who fights gender ideology and is better known as “Billboard Chris,” video-recorded the arrest, noting: “The sounds of wailing and gnashing of teeth are like a lullaby to me, as legislators put an end to this child abuse.”
A transgender activist was arrested at the Oklahoma State Capitol on Tuesday after pouring water on a state representative and hitting an OHP trooper. Read more: https://t.co/MutECAW8xm pic.twitter.com/g3QarOcP8K
— Lexit (@LexitMovement1) March 4, 2023
READ: LGBT activists swarm Oklahoma Capitol to protest ban on genital mutilation of children
Elston was referring to the passage of House Bill 2177, a bill that bans “sex changes” for children. This has predictably attracted the loud ire of trans activists. HB 2177, co-authored by GOP state representatives Kevin West and Jim Olsen, makes it illegal for medical professionals to provide, attempt to provide, or refer for puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, or “sex change” surgeries (including mastectomies and castration) for minors.
It passed by a margin of 80 to 18, and will now head to the state senate. If it passes there and is signed by Governor Kevin Stitt, it will go into effect immediately. Gov. Stitt has consistently expressed his support for laws protecting minors from gender ideology.
In a press release, Rep. West detailed the rationale for SB 2177: “This legislation is about protecting our children from those who would seek to profit from their gender confusion. As a state, we must not be partner to irreversible health practices that permanently change the bodies of our children before they are of an age where they can fully understand the consequences of their decisions.”
Rep. Olsen concurred: “Common sense tells us that the decisions people make as a teenager may be shortsighted and later regretted, especially in regard to a major action like these irreversible procedures. Even one child who undergoes a life-altering procedure and later laments their decision is one too many. I’m proud to stand against these reprehensible actions and proud to protect Oklahoma’s children.”
SB 2177 also bans the use of insurance coverage for any “sex change” services — including for adults — but permits exceptions for minors with a “medically verifiable disorder,” and grants a six-month period for any minor currently taking puberty blockers or cross-sex hormones to stop taking the drugs.
READ: Experts commend Sweden for restricting transgender hormone drugs for minors
The efficacy and side effects of these drugs have been questioned by medical experts around the world, and the impact of puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones on bone density and mental development was recently covered by the New York Times, a publication previously hostile to any discussion about the negative effects of so-called “treatments” supported by the trans movement.
The transgender movement has been pushing back with help from Planned Parenthood — one of the largest suppliers of cross-sex hormones to teens in the United States — and progressive groups such as the ACLU. Earlier in February, around 150 trans activists occupied the Oklahoma Capitol to protest legislation that they claim “targets” the transgender movement by prohibiting “healthcare,” chanting “trans lives matter” and “protect trans kids” in the capitol atrium.
Supporters of the legislation, of course, point out that this legislation is designed to protect kids suffering from gender dysphoria, since the vast majority of them will eventually become comfortable with their sex on their own and cross-sex hormones and surgeries will do permanent and irreversible mental and physical damage.