In 1972, President Richard Nixon signed a proclamation marking Aug. 26 Women’s Equality Day. Even now, the day commemorates and applauds the constitutional recognition of women’s suffrage and celebrates female contributions to our nation, economy and community.
Shockingly, a whole 50 years later, some in our society are questioning what it even means to be a woman.
In the 50 years since President Nixon signed this proclamation, federal and state governments have affirmed and advanced the rights and protections of women and girls in this country, not least with the full implementation of Title IX to ensure women and girls have equal opportunities in education and sports.
These rights and protections are now being threatened by a far-left, out-of-touch gender ideology aiming to completely erase women in the name of "equality."
As President Biden considers the 50th annual proclamation of Women’s Equality Day later this month, I hope he will not bow to the demands of the radical gender activists who want to erase the progress made toward full equality for women and that he instead chooses to recognize and reaffirm the true and vital differences between a biological man and a biological woman; that spaces made specifically for each sex should be preserved.
We do not need biological men in women’s prisons, women’s rape crisis centers, or violence shelters. We do not need biological men in locker rooms with our wives and daughters. We should also never allow there to be an instance that an athletic scholarship or award designed for a woman be given to a biological man.
At a time when men are being awarded for being better women than actual biological women, I decided to take action. Tuesday, I am signing an executive order to thwart the intrusion of this radical ideology into Oklahoma government.
I am proud to be the first governor in the nation to direct state agencies and programs to preserve women-only spaces, to uphold the God-given rights and opportunities of women, and to ensure that where the state gathers vital statistics, those statistics are biologically accurate and have scientific and scholarly value.
RADICALS ARE TRYING TO REDEFINE ‘WOMAN.' IT'S WHY AMERICA NEEDS A WOMEN'S BILL OF RIGHTS
With my executive order, I am honoring the legacies of women like Oklahoman Marvella Hern Bayh, wife of Title IX author Sen. Birch Bayh, who inspired her husband to clear hurdles preventing women from pursuing higher education. An Oklahoma wheat farmer’s daughter, just like every young girl who works hard, should have the right to rise.
I am honoring the hard work of women athletes across Oklahoma, including our University of Oklahoma Sooner women’s softball team that just claimed the national title for the third year in a row. Title IX has been crucial in ensuring women have access to a good education, the benefits of competitive sports and meaningful educational scholarships. Let’s keep it that way.
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Kansas and Tennessee have spoken up and adopted a Women’s Bills of Rights to define "man" and "woman" in state law. Oklahoma legislators moved similar legislation to provide clarity and certainty in state law to preserve the ability of the Oklahoma government to distinguish between the sexes where privacy, safety and biology dictate it should. I hope to have the opportunity to sign that legislation next session.
Let us celebrate the good work our nation has done to champion women’s opportunities and give women a seat at this table. To preserve this progress, we must continue to ensure the law can distinguish between women and men on the basis of sex. Such distinctions are to be celebrated, not erased.
