In recent years, America has been making progress when it comes to representation. For example, the country has elected its first-ever Muslim non-binary lawmaker. However, this person, Mauree Turner, is now in trouble with the law after it came forward that they were possibly harboring a fugitive friend who had been accused of attacking an officer of the law during a protest over transgender rights.
Now, Mauree Turner, who goes by they/them pronouns, will be banned from their position on committee assignments. This censorship of the Muslim non-binary lawmaker is occurring in the state of Oklahoma, where Representative Mauree Turner is the first person with their identity to hold such office in the country.
Because Turner has not issued an apology following the harboring of the wanted fugitive, they are being censored by Conservative lawmakers in Oklahoma. They want the Muslim non-binary state representative to issue a formal apology to people, including the Highway Patrol cops who were allegedly assaulted by transgender activist Austin Ross.
The attack allegedly occurred during a protest of transgender rights when Austin Ross, a wanted fugitive, allegedly flung water at conservative Representative Ed Culver of Tahlequah after he helped push through anti-transgender legislation called HB 2177, which banned gender-affirming care for minors under the age of eighteen.
While Ross was not arrested, they were wanted by authorities. However, authorities did arrest another transgender rights activist, Savannah Mitchell.
Meanwhile, Turner has had a target on their back ever since rising to power in Oklahoma because they are the first openly nonbinary Muslim person to be elected to the Legislature of Oklahoma. They declared on Tuesday that they would not be apologizing for their involvement in Austin Ross’s case because Republicans in the Red State continue to strip away rights from the state’s growing transgender population.
“I think an apology for loving the people of Oklahoma is something that I cannot do,” said Turner, D-Oklahoma City, while supported by several of their Democratic colleagues. “It’s something that I actively refuse to do.’
During the protest last week, Austin Ross allegedly poured water on the Republican lawmaker and got into a scuffle with a trooper. They threw more water at people in the process before they got arrested for their involvement in “violence” during the transgender rights protest.
Republican Culver was furious that water got thrown at him but was angrier that the trooper had been targeted. On Tuesday, Ross was arrested in Ponca City, Oklahoma. He is accused of “holding an officer’s hands” while they were trying to arrest Savannah Mitchell for advocating for transgender rights.
Allegedly, Ross escaped custody and went into Turner’s legislative office to hide.
“When we go up to the representative’s office, we were not allowed in, even from opening the door,” said Trooper Eric Foster with the Highway Patrol.
Speaker of the House Charles McCall confirmed that the House stands behind law enforcement.
“I will not allow members of the House of Representatives to use their assigned offices and official positions to impede law enforcement from carrying out investigations or making arrests in the state Capitol,” said McCall, R-Atoka.