OKLAHOMA CITY, OK — Independent Women’s Voice (IWV) applauds Oklahoma State Senator Jessica Garvin and Representative Toni Hasenbeck for advancing the Women’s Bill of Rights (WBOR), moving Oklahoma one step closer to fully codifying ‘male’ and ‘female’ terms in state law.
HB 1449 passed in the Senate today with overwhelming support. It now moves to the House for concurrence, the last step before it achieves final passage. When signed into law by Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt, Oklahoma will have fully codified terms into state code, preventing judicial activism and sex-discrimiation, helping to preserve women’s spaces, safety and opportunity, and ensuring the accuracy of state-collected data.
Oklahoma joins Kansas, Tennessee, and Idaho, who have all adopted similar measures in their legislatures, and Alabama, Iowa, Kentucky, and Louisiana, all of which are moving legislation inspired by the Women’s Bill of Rights this session. Last summer, Governor Stitt led the nation as the first governor to issue the Women’s Bill of Rights by Executive Order, followed by Governor Jim Pillen of Nebraska.
Riley Gaines, Independent Women’s Voice ambassador, said: “Senator Garvin and Representative Hasenbeck have been tenacious advocates for preserving women’s access to single-sex spaces. Last year they introduced the Independent Women’s Voice’s Women’s Bill of Rights and haven’t stopped fighting to get it over the finish line this year. We don’t often see this determination from lawmakers to ensure truth prevails in our laws today. Their efforts are so appreciated, not just by Oklahoma women, but women nationwide.”
State Senator Jessica Garvin said, “The passage of the Women’s Bill of Rights tells my daughters that they will never be told to ‘sit down, shut up, and put on a fake smile’. My daughters will never be told they have to share a space with biological males. My daughters will never have to fear that the spaces intended to make them feel safe and comfortable will be compromised. My daughters don’t have to worry about competing for the spotlight against biological males. Women have fought for our rights for over two hundred years and in this state, we have codified that the fight is over for my daughters, and every other woman and girl in the state of Oklahoma.”
State Representative Toni Hasenbeck said, “Unfortunately, we continue to see attacks nationwide on the integrity of women-only spaces. Inviting biological men into spaces where women are vulnerable sets an incredibly dangerous precedent and, frankly, tells women that society doesn’t care about their safety. By passing the Women’s Bill of Rights into statute, Oklahoma is standing up to protect women of all backgrounds from those with ill intentions.”
WBOR model legislation, first announced in March 2022, was drafted by Independent Women’s Voice and Independent Women’s Law Center (IWLC) in collaboration with the left-leaning feminist organization Women’s Liberation Front (WoLF).
To read and sign the Women’s Bill of Rights, click HERE.
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Independent Women’s Voice fights for women by expanding support for policy solutions that aren’t just well intended, but actually enhance freedom, opportunities, and well-being.