Oklahoma Governor Signs Women’s Bill of Rights Executive Order
WoLF Executive Director Sharon Byrne Speaks at Signing Ceremony Celebrating the Landmark Order
Today, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt signed an executive order establishing the Women’s Bill of Rights, making Oklahoma the second state in the nation to implement the full Women’s Bill of Rights and the first state to do so by executive order. WoLF Executive Director, Sharon Byrne, spoke in solidarity with female athletes and advocates at the Governor’s signing ceremony.
Earlier this year, the Oklahoma House passed the bill with overwhelming support. The bill was expected to also pass in the Senate, but due to bureaucratic delays did not make it to the floor for a final vote before the legislative session ended. It is expected that the bill will be formally passed by the Oklahoma legislature in 2024. In the meantime, Governor Stitt’s executive order ensures that Oklahoma women and girls are not subject to state erasure of their sex and protected rights.
Co-authored by WoLF and Independent Women’s Voice (IWV) in 2022, the Women’s Bill of Rights defines sex in state laws based on biology, codifies “intermediate scrutiny” to ensure that women are treated fairly by courts interpreting sex discrimination laws, and protects the ability to collect data on sex. The bill was passed in Kansas with bipartisan support earlier this year.
WoLF Executive Director, Sharon Byrne, celebrated the momentous event, speaking at the press conference along with athlete and advocate Riley Gaines, Psychiatrist Dr. Lauren Schwartz, and Somerlyn Cothran, spokesperson for Independent Women’s Forum.
“Today, the state of Oklahoma is taking a historic step to protect women and girls, and not just in Oklahoma. Women in prisons - this is a women’s human rights issue all over the country - are being denied female-only correctional facilities; unthinkable just a few years ago,” Byrne said. “California’s law, that WoLF is suing to challenge, has led to dozens of male sex offenders and murderers being placed in incarcerated facilities with women. It is absolutely obscufating data on women’s crimes versus men’s crimes, and it has led to sexual assault victims being told that they were harmed by a “female” penis.”
A 2023 study found that 49% of women in Oklahoma experience domestic violence — the highest rate in the country. Among this devastating reality, some activists in the state are working to eliminate the few spaces where women and girls can currently expect to be safe from male violence.
The current lack of clear or adequate definitions of sex in Oklahoma law allows sex-based rights and laws regarding sex discrimination to be misinterpreted. Enshrining these definitions prevents unelected bureaucrats or judges from deciding that sex can mean “gender identity.” Rather, it clarifies that sex in state or federal law is based on material reality to protect women and girls.
In addition to protecting single-sex spaces, the Women's Bill of Rights requires that when schools, agencies, and offices collect vital statistics on sex, they accurately record biological sex. Correct statistics are essential for providing accurate information to the public on the unique challenges facing women and girls. With many agencies and offices currently collecting data based on “gender identity,” the usefulness of such data for research into women’s and girls’ needs is neglected. As women and girls in Oklahoma face an ongoing crisis of male violence, these statistics have never been more important for public health and safety officials and advocates.
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Tell your state lawmakers to pass the Women’s Bill of Rights!
So far, Oklahoma and Kansas are the only states to adopt the full Women’s Bill of Rights. Write to your local legislators and ask them to bring these important protections to your state!
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