No, Trans Rights Protesters Did Not “Storm” the Oklahoma Capitol

Transphobes ask: What if two completely different things were actually the same?

by Evan Urquhart

According to OU Daily, about 150 protesters gathered at the Oklahoma Capitol to protest proposed legislation to ban gender-affirming care for youth, and to respond to Governor Kevin Stitt’s statements in support of such a ban during his State of the State address. Two seperate bills to restrict or ban gender-affirming care been proposed in OK. The most extreme, SB 129, would ban gender-affirming care for anyone under the age of 26.

screenshot from OU Daily

Video of protesters chanting of “trans lives matter” in the rotunda of the Oklahoma Capitol building (which is open to the public), are being circulated by far right social media accounts. While the videos do not show any violence, and no such violence has been alleged, these far right accounts are mischaracterizing the protests with language suggesting violence occurred, such as saying that protesters “stormed” the building implying violent entery. They’re also drawing a spurious connection between these peaceful protests and the storming of the U. S. Capitol by far right extremists on January 6, 2020.

When rioters breached police barriers and stormed the U. S. Capitol building on January 6, 2020, it was with the intention of overthrowing the election of Joe Biden by force. At the time, lawmakers from both parties hid in fear from the mob, which vandalized the building, entered private offices and other restricted areas, and earlier chanted “hang Mike Pence”. In contrast, on February 6, 2023, peaceful trans rights protestors held signs and chanted in a part of the Oklahoma Capitol building that was open to the public. There are no reports of arrests, violence, or inappropriate behavior. However, the fact that it took place inside a Capitol building and reports that some protestors chanted “our house” (language also used by some January 6 rioters), is all the excuse right wing extremists need to draw a false equivalence between these two events.

The twin goals seem to be rehabilitating and legitimizing the Jan. 6 rioters, and suggesting that peaceful protests in favor of trans rights are illegetimate. This behavior would seem to increase the chances of violence from the right by excusing and making martyrs of right wing extremists and by suggesting that peaceful trans rights protesters are as bad or worse.