Oklahoma bill aims to ban gender transition procedures under age of 26

MARSHALL, Okla. (TND) — A new Oklahoma bill seeks to prevent individuals from receiving any medical gender transition procedures before they turn 26.

The legislation, filed by Sen. David Bullard, R-Durant, comes just days before the start of Oklahoma's first legislative session of the year. The bill, which will eventually be known as the Millstone Act of 2023, aims to both restrict access to gender transition procedures and reduce the amount of funding any such procedures receive.

If passed, several gender transition procedures, including puberty blockers and sex reassignment surgeries, will be banned for those under 26. Any healthcare professional who does perform or provide any of these procedures risks felony conviction and revocation of medical licenses.

Healthcare professionals would only be permitted to offer the services under various outlined scenarios, such as if an individual is "born with a medically verifiable disorder of sex development" or faces "imminent danger of death" without the procedures.

Bullard also aims to block all public funds from "directly or indirectly" benefiting organizations or professionals providing any gender transition procedures to individuals under 26. Oklahoma's Medicaid program would also be unable to cover any related services for those individuals.

Any Oklahoma resident with a claim of a violation of the Millstone Act would have 40 years after the day the procedure was administered or funded to report it.

The proposed legislation would further the restrictions Oklahoma has already placed on gender transition procedures.

In October, Republican Governor Kevin Stitt blocked the Oklahoma Children's Hospital at the University of Oklahoma (OU) from receiving funding towards gender transition procedures for minors. The move followed several state lawmakers raising concerns about the hospital, which, at the time, advertised "gender-affirming hormone therapy."

The hospital has since pledged to cease providing hormone prescriptions and reassignment surgeries to minors.

A separate Oklahoma bill filed in December is looking to ban any state physicians from administering "gender transition procedures" to individuals under 21.

Bullard drew attention last year when he successfully authored a state law prohibiting transgender students from using school restrooms and locker rooms corresponding with their gender identity.