Oklahoma’s Republican Governor, Kevin Stitt, has recently signed a bill into law designed “bring clarity, certainty, and uniformity” to state laws concerning the terms “female” and “mother.” The measure, sponsored by State Senator Jessica Garvin, seeks to safeguard women’s single-sex spaces from invasion by men.
Senator Garvin explained to the Daily Caller, “There are states where there have been men who have been incarcerated, and then they decided to identify as female. That has obviously been problematic because it turns out some of these men have sexually abused women while incarcerated,” Garvin said.
The new law explicitly states that biological men are not eligible for government grants intended for women, and it prohibits men from using facilities such as female restrooms, prisons, rape shelters, locker rooms, and other areas designated for women.
To provide a clear definition, the bill establishes “mother” as “the female parent of a child or children” and “woman” as “a natural person who is female.” Additionally, any state agency, department, or political subdivision that gathers vital statistics for public health, crime, economic, or other data must classify individuals as male or female, as defined in Section 62 of Title 25 of the Oklahoma Statutes.
In attendance at the signing was Riley Gaines, Advisor for Independent Women’s Voice and advocate for protection of women in sports.
“So honored to stand alongside Governor Stitt as he signed an Executive Order on the Women’s Bill of Rights, a law that defines sex-based terms like ‘woman’,” Gaines later said in a tweet.
“Stitt is the first governor to take decisive action and safeguard women’s privacy, safety, and equal opportunities,” she continued.
This move by Oklahoma has drawn attention, and other conservative-leaning lawmakers have taken similar initiatives. Republican Senator Cyndi Hyde-Smith from Mississippi introduced a Women’s Bill of Rights in February 2023, following an unsuccessful attempt in May 2022. The proposed bill in Mississippi echoes Oklahoma’s stance, aiming to define “mother,” “woman,” and “sex” along similar lines.
Senator Hyde-Smith stated “One of the many problems with these radical notions to redefine male and female is that they end up doing more harm than good,” Hyde-Smith said. “Our resolution simply affirms the biological differences between males and females under federal law, ensuring that womanhood is not erased by the ‘woke’ left’s reckless attempts to be inclusive.”
This law is so important for the protection of women’s single-sex spaces and acknowledges the biological differences between males and females. Let’s hope more states follow suit.
