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An Open Letter to Ms. Raichik:
We are writing to you as parents and Oklahomans. Our state and our youth have already been harmed by your online presence, and we are deeply alarmed by your recent suggestion that you will visit our state in person (apparently, for only the second time). We feel compelled to address the impact of your words and actions on our children and our families, and let you know you are not welcome in our state or near our children.
First and foremost, we would like to express our anger and resentment at your decision to target young people in Oklahoma — our state, our home — as well as your dangerous obsession with spreading hate against the 2SLGBTQ+ community and youth. Your attempt to strongarm local communities into policies that create a climate of hate, fear and violence undermines the rights and dignity of Oklahomans and our communities.
As parents, we see firsthand the challenges, bigotry, and discrimination too many children face on a daily basis. And tragically, now we have seen violence. Whether or not you decide to make your way to Oklahoma, we know that the hostility you peddle is traveling to us. The Westboro Baptist Church, an anti-2SLGBTQ+, Southern Poverty Law Center-designated hate group, is protesting outside Owasso schools this week, bringing the bigoted cruelty you share so easily online to our school's front doors.
We have to ask why you choose to stoke division and prejudice?
Your presence on our Education Department’s Library Media Advisory Committee is equally concerning. By promoting discriminatory ideologies and actively opposing the inclusion of books and programming that foster acceptance and inclusivity, you are undermining the integrity of libraries as safe and accessible spaces for all people. We will not allow you to take that away from our children.
We demand that you resign from your position on the Committee immediately. You, and any organization that seeks to bring hate into Oklahoma, are not welcome in our state or in positions of authority and influence here. And we implore you to reflect on the impact of your actions. Our state has just lost one child, and your deliberately cruel attempts to dehumanize transgender people for clicks and likes created a hostile environment in which tragedy felt inevitable. Stay away from our children and stay out of our state.
Signed,
Oklahoma Parents and Allies of Two-Spirit, Transgender, Nonbinary, and Gender-Expansive Youth
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