OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA – August 2, 2023 – Yesterday, Oklahoma became the second state in the nation to enshrine the full “Women’s Bill of Rights” into state law. In a decisive move, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stiff signed the bill by Executive Order, making him the first governor to use his executive power to do so. The “Women’s Bill of Rights” was co-authored by WoLF along with partnering Independent Women’s Voice, both national women’s advocacy groups, to ensure women and girls are not erased from state law in matters of discrimination based on sex. 

Earlier this year, the “Women’s Bill of Rights” was overwhelmingly passed by Oklahoma’s House and was likewise expected to pass the state Senate. However, due to bureaucratic delays, the bill 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.  

Developed in 2022, the Women’s Bill of Rights defines sex in state laws based on biology, codifies “intermediate scrutiny” to ensure that women and girls 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’s newly appointed Executive Director, Sharon Byrne, celebrated the momentous event in Oklahoma City today, 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,” Byrne proclaimed, “but we must remember this is a women’s human rights issue all over the country!” WoLF remains committed to safeguarding women’s and girls’ rights to fairness under the law based on their sex, female.

WoLF’s full coverage: https://womensliberationfront.org/news/ok-wbor-eo-sharon-byrne

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Women’s Liberation Front is a national radical feminist 501(c)(3) nonprofit public charity dedicated to restoring, protecting, and advancing the rights of women and girls using legal argument, policy advocacy, and public education.