Tag: Oklahoma

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Oklahoma Restaurant To Transgender Customers: Don’t Be Caught In Wrong Restroom

Oklahoma restaurant owner Bob Warner, of the Steak and Catfish Barn, is in the spotlight for a controversial message (above) he recently posted for his customers.

The sign, posted at the entrance of the restaurant, reads: “We do not have a transgender bathroom. So don’t be caught in the wrong one.”

Warner says the sign isn’t anti-transgender. He’s just protecting his business:

“We have a lot of redneck guys that come in here, truck drivers and everything,” said Warner. “They’re big husky guys, and I said ‘Man alive! If their wife or their little girl walked in that bathroom and a man followed them in there, I wouldn’t have a restaurant’.”

Paula Schonauer says she feels the sign reads as a threat. “That sign has an implied threat, a threat that’s very real to me.”

While Schonauer disagrees with the messaging, she does feel it’s a teachable moment, saying, “It’s an opportunity to show sometimes what transgender people deal with on a daily basis, unfortunately.”

Watch the report from local affiliate KFOR below:

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Oklahoma Police Recommend 3 Prostitution Charges For GOP State Senator

Oklahoma state Sen. Ralph Shortey with Donald Trump Jr.
(pic via Facebook)

Police in Moore, Oklahoma, are recommending 3 prostitution-related charges against Sen. Ralph Shortey, who was found in a motel room alone with an underage teen.

Those charges include soliciting prostitution of a minor, prostitution within 1000 feet of a church and transporting for the purpose of prostitution.

Employees at the Motel 8 in Moore say a person by the name of “Ralph Allen Shortey” checked in on March 9 around 12:20AM, and asked for a room with two beds.

Just 30 minutes later, the employee said that police arrived at the motel in response to a “welfare check” and discovered the juvenile male and an adult male in the same room.

Text messages between Shortey and the teen are being investigated.

Shortey, who has been married to his high school sweetheart since 2002, was the state chair of President Donald Trump’s campaign during the primary season.

Pam Pollard of the Oklahoma Republican Party has issued the following statement:

“The Oklahoma Republican Party takes all accusations against elected officials seriously, especially when the welfare of a minor is involved. We have reached out to Senator Shortey for comment and have not heard back from him at this time. We await the report from law enforcement on whether charges will be filed.”

(source)

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News Round-Up: December 14, 2016

Some news items you might have missed:

• The brilliant indie film Moonlight received 6 Golden Globe nominations which means even more of the world will be exposed to one of the best movies I’ve ever seen. If you haven’t seen it yet, GO!

• Scientists are downloading and copying government climate data as quickly as possible out of fears a Trump administration might destroy any info showing the reality of climate change.

• Politico is reporting that upwards of 20 GOP Electoral College members are considering not casting their votes for Donald Trump on December 19th. The most EC members to change their votes in one year was 6 in 1808.

• More from the Electoral College – 40 members have asked for an intelligence briefing before December 19th regarding information that Russia actively moved to help elect Donald Trump.

• Oklahoma lawmakers have approved a bill that would require businesses to post anti-abortion signs in their bathrooms.

• Following an acclaimed 4 night concert production at City Center this past October, Jake Gyllenhaal heads back to Broadway in Stephen Sondheim’s Sunday In The Park With George for ten weeks at the Hudson Theater.

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Norman Becomes First Oklahoma City To Pass LGBT Protections

Norman, Oklahoma – home of the University of Oklahoma – has become the first city in the state to adopt protections for LGBT citizens.

Via LGBTQ Nation:

The Norman Transcript reports that the council voted Dec. 22 for the resolution that affirms that sexual discrimination can include gender preference and sexual identity.

Freedom Oklahoma Executive Director Troy Stevenson, since federal law will apply and trump municipal law, it was not necessary to adopt an ordinance.

“As the first city in our great state to fully protect all of its residents, Norman has set a precedent for every municipality in Oklahoma and a challenge to our state legislature to follow suit,” Stevenson said.

Council member Lynne Miller said the city’s civil rights ordinance has been on the books since 1986 and that Norman was affirming that all of its residents have a right to equality.

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Oklahoma Teacher Tells Pre-K Student To Stop Being Left-Handed Because Satan Is Left-Handed

An Oklahoma teacher allegedly told a pre-K student to stop being left-handed because it’s “sinister” and the devil is left-handed.

From News Channel4 in Oklahoma:

Zayde, like most kids in Pre-K, is learning how to read and write. And like his mom, Alisha, Zayde is a lefty. “From picking things up to throwing things, to batting, to writing, to just coloring you’d do at home with him, he’s always, always used his left hand,” Alisha Sands said.

That was until last week at homework time. Alisha asked him why he was writing with his right hand, not his left. “I just asked ‘Is there anything his teachers ever asked about his hands?’ And he raises this one and says this one’s bad,” Sands said.

Alisha sent the teacher a note and got a strong response. It was an article calling left-handedness “unlucky,” “evil,” and “sinister.” It even says “for example, the devil is often portrayed as left-handed.” Alisha couldn’t believe it. “It breaks my heart for him because someone actually believes that, believes my child is evil because he’s left handed, it’s crazy,” Sands said.

What the hell? I have many friends who are great teachers – I can’t imagine any of them coming up with this nonsense.

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President Obama, Oklahoma & The Confederate Flag

It’s worth noting that during the time of the U.S. Civil War, Oklahoma was not a U.S. state. Oklahoma wasn’t admitted into the Union until 1907.

Oklahoma did not fight in the Civil War and did not secede from the Union.

The state has no history with the Confederate flag, other than its symbolism of White Supremacy in the 20th century.

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Oklahoma Run ‘N Gun Event Features Rainbow Flag As Shooting Target

An Oklahoma group organizing a biathlon event called Oklahoma Run ‘n Gun, which combines running and shooting. raised eyebrows when they featured a rainbow flag as a shooting target in a recent Facebook post.

From Oklahoma City’s NBC affiliate:

The post angered many people who took it as a direct threat to the LGBT community.

Event organizers say they did not expect the response they got and that it was all meant as a joke.

“People got really offended and really upset and people were really feeling threatened,” said Freedom Oklahoma Executive Director Troy Stevenson.

The picture shows two men with rifles standing beside a rainbow flag and the caption reads “new high visibility targets on the 500 yard range.”

“People took it as a threat, people felt very threatened,” said Stevenson.

“Since it said our new target and it had guns that I took it as a threat,” said human rights activist, Mahkesha Hogg.

“I think for many gay men and women in the state of Oklahoma, we feel as if we walk around as targets,” said Scott J. Hamilton, an advocate for the LGBT community.

Stevenson says he reached out to event organizers after seeing the picture.

“He assures us that it wasn’t meant as a threat. It was a situation where I don’t think the people doing it understood social media or how bad their joke was,” said Stevenson.

The race organizer tells NewsChannel 4 some people had been complaining about not being able to see the targets, so this was their response… a brightly colored one.

He says it was meant to be funny.

The event organizer tells us they are a fitness and liberty minded group, not a hate group.

Making the symbol of LGBT Pride your target to shoot at? Gee, I can’t imagine why gay folks would feel threatened.

You’ll all recall when former half-term governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin, promoted “targeting” Democratic lawmakers during an election cycle and soon after Arizona Congresswoman Gabby Giffords was shot by a gun nut.

Words and images matter people.

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An Immersive “Oklahoma!” Set In An Old-Fashioned Community Hall

Lauren Lancaster for The New York Times

I think this sounds terrific.

A new take on the Rodgers & Hammerstein classic “Oklahoma!” unfolds in a theater retrofitted to look like an old-fashioned community hall and features red pots of chili shared by the audience and the actors at intermission.

From the New York Times:

The show was “Oklahoma!,” but the room might have been mistaken for a local hangout, with plaid-shirted 20-somethings leaning against the wall, checking their phones or watching a six-piece retro-Americana band, including a banjo and an accordion, tune up.

Then, after practicing a few quavery high notes, Damon Daunno, the actor playing the lovesick cowboy Curly, stepped into the middle of the room and belted out the first lines of “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’,” accompanying himself on acoustic guitar until the band kicked in.

Very cool.

The production will run run through July 19 as part of Bard’s SummerScape festival.

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Tulsa County Ordered To Pay $300K In Attorney’s Fees In Marriage Equality Appeal

Plaintiffs Mary Bishop and Sharon Baldwin

After winning the good fight in Oklahoma to overturn the state’s ban on same-sex marriage, a district judge has ruled in favor of the plaintiffs attorneys and ordered Tulsa County to pay almost $300,000 in fees and costs related to the county’s appeal of a lower court ruling.

Three attorneys for the couple had requested almost $400,000 in attorney fees and nearly $2,000 in costs.

Attorneys for Tulsa County argued that a more appropriate amount would be just over $100,000.

The 10th Circuit Court of Appeal ruled on July 18th that the ban was unconstitutional. In October, the same court ruled that Tulsa County would be financially responsible for the legal expenses incurred by the couple, Mary Bishop and Sharon Baldwin.

(source)

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Oklahoma: Democrat Files Amendment Requiring Businesses Post Notice Of Refusal To Serve Gays

Oklahoma state Rep. Emily Virgin

This is my favorite thing today.

As Oklahoma continues to try and thwart the progress of marriage equality in the state, State Rep. Chuck Strohm (R) has introduced the “Oklahoma Religious Freedom Act” which would allow allow businesses to deny services to gays and lesbians if it was “against the person’s religious beliefs.”

As an amendment to that legislation, state Rep. Emily Virgin would like to require businesses that do not provide public accommodations to LGBT folks – based on their religious beliefs – to post that declaration visible for the public to see.

“Any person not wanting to participate in any of the activities set forth in subsection A of this section based on sexual orientation, gender identity or race of either party to the marriage shall post notice of such refusal in a manner clearly visible to the public in all places of business, including websites,” the amendment states.

“The notice may refer to the person’s religious beliefs, but shall state specifically which couples the business does not serve by referring to a refusal based upon sexual orientation, gender identity or race.”

The Gayly noted that Virgin’s amendment “would save minority couples from facing the indignity of being refused service.”

In related news, House Bill 1125, by Rep. Todd Russ (R), passed the state House today by a vote of 67-24. The law would abolish the government issuance of marriage certificates.

Instead, the law would require those officiating marriage ceremonies to file after-the-fact “certificates of marriage” with court clerks’ offices. Those not choosing a religious ceremony could file affidavits of common law marriage.

Opponents of HB1125 say the federal government could refuse to acknowledge these proposed ‘marriage certificates,’ thus risking the loss of hundreds of federal benefits for marriage couples.