Oklahoma House panel OKs bill banning agencies from displaying Pride flags

OKLAHOMA CITY — A House panel on Wednesday advanced legislation that would prohibit government agencies from displaying LGBTQ+ Pride flags on state property.

House Bill 3217 from Rep. Kevin West, R-Moore, also would prohibit state agencies from using taxpayer dollars or other funds to organize or endorse any events, initiatives or social media posts that promote Pride month or events with a similar theme.

The bill that bans agencies from displaying flags representing “sexual orientation or gender identity” on state property passed the House State Powers Committee on a party-line vote of 7-2 despite criticism from Democrats that it violates free speech protections enshrined in the First Amendment.

West said his “Patriotism Not Pride Act” stems from similar legislation U.S. Rep. Josh Brecheen introduced in Congress.

West said he wants state agencies to focus solely on providing services to Oklahomans. Some state agencies have posted on their websites about Pride month, he said.

He made comparisons to the Ten Commandments monument that was removed from the grounds of the state Capitol after the Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled it violated the state Constitution’s prohibition on using taxpayer dollars to promote religion.

“If you put something out there that was religious in nature, it would almost guarantee a lawsuit,” he said. “We’re not seeing lawsuits on this, but it is a divisive message.”

Courts have repeatedly ruled on the separation of church and state, but those same precedents don’t apply to gender and identity issues, said Nicole McAfee, executive director of the LGBTQ+ advocacy group Freedom Oklahoma.

HB 3217 makes LGBTQ+ Oklahomans feel like they can’t be served by the state. It also chills state agencies’ ability to communicate with the LGBTQ+ community in a way that offers support, McAfee said.

“LGBTQ+ Oklahomans have too often from the state been told that we don’t belong here, that we don’t deserve equal rights and equal access and equal support,” McAfee said. “Even as we see these bills, it’s just important to remind queer and trans and intersex folks that we have always existed in the state, and we will always exist in the state.”

The bill now advances to the House floor.