March 2022 Update

Image of black, white, and orange photo and newspaper collage, similar to a zine. The text reads, "Youth Advocacy Month March 2022." The Freedom Oklahoma Logo is on the left.

Tuesday, February 1st, 2022

Last year, a record number of anti-trans bills were introduced, and in 2022 the attacks continue at full force. We know that 2SLGBTQ+ Oklahomans deserve more–now we just have to do the work to protect our communities from the politicians in the legislature that year-after-year seek to disrupt everything that we’ve built.

Although the House State Powers Committee gave a platform to HB 2973 promoting the practice of so-called “conversion therapy,” let us never allow ourselves to believe that our actions do not matter. The hearing for SB 1249, which aims to enact single-sex restrictions on all public bathrooms and changing rooms, has been put on pause after our collective efforts against it. With several closings due to weather, we have the opportunity to keep other anti-trans efforts like HB 3240 off the legislature’s agenda. This gives us more time to let the House Public Health Committee know that trans youth deserve best-practice medical care and HB 3240 does not belong on any agenda ever. 

Just like last Session, we’ll fight to stop these bills, with you by our side. Part of that fight includes making sure our youth feel confident in taking on the people using their power and platform to advance harmful agendas that target them. This March, Freedom Oklahoma is launching our first-ever Youth Advocacy Month (YAM)!  YAM is a month-long, virtual program that aims to give our school-age community members the tools they need to advocate for themselves and for their communities through art, storytelling, and movement-building. 

Participants will learn how to tell their stories in ways that center their safety, the history and practice of peaceful disruption, how to create art through resistance and resilience, and so much more! Freedom Oklahoma will provide the facilitators, resources, and content. We’ll even send you the supplies you’ll need to participate in the art projects. We'll end the month with a live show-and-tell so we can highlight all the amazing work happening right here in Oklahoma.

EDUCATORS: We encourage you to implement YAM content into your GSA meetings, after-school programming, or even the classroom. No GSA? No problem! We welcome individual participants, too!

We have work to do, together. From telling our stories to educating our elected representatives, to helping our allies become champions of this cause, with you on our side, our potential is unlimited. There’s no better time than now to pour our time, energy, and love into building a better world for our queer, trans, and Two Spirit youth.

In solidarity,

Freedom Oklahoma