Anti-LGBTQ rhetoric prompts calls for Oklahoma education superintendent's remova

[Jessica_Rose]

Anti-LGBTQ rhetoric prompts calls for Oklahoma education superintendent's removal

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/anti-lgbtq-rhetoric-prompts-calls-for-oklahoma-education-superintendent-s-removal/ar-BB1j4rIY?ocid=windirect&cvid=3042bfe45e4145118918707d6bc5e09c&ei=38

ABC News (28 Feb 2024)

Oklahoma State Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters is standing by policies affecting the transgender community in state schools following the death of 16-year-old Nex Benedict, which has resulted in increasing calls for his removal from office.

"To make sure that all individuals are safe in a school, we want every student to be protected, we want every student to be successful," Walters told ABC News in an interview Tuesday. "That also means we're not going to lie to students. And we're not going to push a gender ideology."

However, an open letter is calling for Walters' immediate removal from office for, the letter claims, "fostering a culture of violence and hate against the 2SLGBTQI+ community in Oklahoma schools." The letter is signed by about 350 local, state, and national organizations, including GLAAD, Human Rights Campaign, Oklahomans for Equality and more.

The letter – which was created and circulated Wednesday by the advocacy groups Freedom Oklahoma, GLAAD, Human Rights Campaign, and the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN) – also demands an investigation into the state Department of Education "to determine what actions and policies have led to a culture where rampant harassment of 2SLGBTQI+ students has been allowed to go unchecked."