Turner Fights to Make House Rules More Inclusive

OKLAHOMA CITY — State Rep. Mauree Turner, D-OKC, offered two amendments today, both aimed at inclusivity, to the House Rules created by Republicans for the 58th Legislative Session.

Turner’s amendments replaced gender-specific pronouns in the rulebook with gender-neutral terms and eliminated different rules for men and women, on their first day as a seated member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives.

“I ran for office and fought for this seat to make our government more inclusive and transparent,” Turner said. “It is a bit discouraging to have a public body operate with archaic rules based on gender and deny the existence of our gender diverse communities.”

Both of the measures failed, but Turner views the conversation as a beginning and a win for their constituents and Oklahomans.

“We never thought this fight was going to be easy,” Turner said. “At the same time, having a member of this body stand up and fight for communities that have been ignored is an important step. The people of District 88 started this movement when they elected me, and whether it is my first day or my last, my focus will be representing them.”