Two of Oklahoma’s biggest LGBT groups team up to form Freedom Oklahoma.
"Most fair-minded Oklahomans want the legislature to be focused on education and the budget shortfall, making sure that we have teachers in classrooms, not on this slate of hate-filled legislation that we're seeing from a few representatives and senators down at the capitol," said advocacy director Amanda Snipes.
Statewide political advocacy group The Equality Network and Oklahoma City–based Cimarron Alliance Foundation are the organizations behind Freedom Oklahoma. The idea is to fight the legislation by combining resources.
"We could also work more easily with national organizations — so, the Human Rights Campaign and the National Center for Lesbian Rights have shown interest in the legislation that's being proposed," Snipes said.
Bills the group is targeting include one to allow conversion therapy for children, one to allow businesses to refuse service to LGBT people and one barring public employees from recognizing same-sex marriages.
Snipes said lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Oklahomans are facing backlash against federal courts approving same-sex marriage in the state.
"You know, if legislators are going to vote against our rights, they're going to have to do it while looking us in the eye," Snipes said.
