Ryan Walters, the conservative superintendent of the Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE), spoke for only about 12 minutes before ending his speech at Oklahoma State University (OSU) yesterday. During his on-campus appearance, supporters of LGBTQ+ rights shouted angrily at him, calling him a “fascist” and blaming him for the death of a nonbinary student.
Walters had been asked to speak by a campus chapter of Turning Point USA. The organization’s creator, Charlie Kirk, has targeted transgender individuals and described opposition to religious exemptions as “fascism.” Around 100 people attended Walters’ speech in the campus engineering building. Walters spoke without a microphone and hardly spoke before protesters started shouting.
“You’re a power-hungry fascist,” one protester shouted, also saying, “Nex’s blood is on your hands!”
The protester’s later comment was regarding Nex Benedict, a 16-year-old transgender Native American student who died on February 8 after an alleged assault by three bullies in his high school bathroom. Community members blame Walters’s anti-LGBTQ+ language and policies for contributing to a hostile atmosphere for queer students and harming the mental well-being of queer youth.
Other protesters yelled, “Where is your budget? Where is your staff?” These comments referenced the fact that all of OSDE’s lawyers, Walters’ Chief of Staff Jenna Thomas, Executive Director of Accreditation Ryan Pieper, and Program Manager of Grant Development and Compliance Pamela Smith-Gordon are just some of over 130 staff members who have left OSDE since Walters took office, KFOR reported.
Walters has also failed, as promised, to send an annual budget to state legislators by last January. Democratic state legislators have said that Walters’ new OSDE rules, including one against “pornographic” LGBTQ+ materials in schools, have been made without legislative oversight and are, thus, unenforceable.
However, at his short on-campus speech, Walters said, “Never back down to a woke mob…. They think they can yell, they think they can scream, they can throw a hissy fit.” Then, 12 minutes into his speech — most of which was drowned out by yelling protesters — Walters backed down.
After unsuccessfully fielding a few questions from members of Turning Point USA, an event organizer went up to Walters, spoke in his ear, and after, Walters waved to the crowd, mouthed “Thank you,” and was ushered out the back door by the group’s members, KFOR reported.
Walters, who wants to forbid LGBTQ+ books but teach the Bible in public school history classes, has previously pushed the transphobic lie about schools providing litterboxes to students who identify as cats. He also referred to teachers’ unions as “terrorist organizations” and unlawfully attempted to make regulations banning LGBTQ+ books and transgender bathroom access in schools. He has appeared at events hosted by Moms for Liberty, a conservative anti-LGBTQ+ “parent’s rights” group that has been called an extremist hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Walters also selected Chaya Raichik, an individual who opposes LGBTQ+ rights and uses the name Libs of Tik Tok online, as a Library Media Advisor for the state (even though she lacks educational experience, doesn’t live in Oklahoma, and has made posts that prompted bomb threats against students).
