Gov. Stitt signs bill preventing OU Children’s from receiving funding for gender transition services

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. (KSWO) - Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt signed a bill Tuesday which will prevent funding for OU Children’s Hospital which would be used for gender transition services for minors.

Stitt’s office said in a press release members of the Legislature raised concerns about the Roy G. Biv Program which offers “gender affirming hormone therapy” and advertises to help “find surgeons who perform gender-affirming surgeries,” according to their website.

The Governor also called on the legislature to ban permanent gender transition surgeries and hormone therapies on minors statewide.

“I am calling for the Legislature to ban all irreversible gender transition surgeries and hormone therapies on minors when they convene next session in February 2023. We cannot turn a blind eye to what’s happening all across our nation, and as governor I will not allow life-altering transition surgeries on minor children in the state of Oklahoma.”

SB 3XX provides nearly $40 million in ARPA funding to increase and expand capacity of behavioral health care for children, as well as $20 million for cancer patients who have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic, $44 million for electronic health record systems, and over $5 million for mobile dental units.

The bill went into effect immediately after Stitt’s signature.