Republican state lawmaker slammed after referring to LGBTQ+ community as ‘filth’

The state senator’s remarks were condemned as ‘horrifying’

A Republican state lawmaker has been slammed after he referred to the LGBTQ+ community as “filth”.

Oklahoma Republican state senator Tom Woods made the remark during a public event in response to a question about state bills that would restrict the rights of transgender people, according to audio recorded by the Tahlequah Daily Press.

At the event, which was sponsored by the Tahlequah Chamber of Commerce, audience member Cathy Cott allegedly asked the state senator and other speakers why the legislature has “such an obsession with LGBTQ+ citizens of Oklahoma and what people do in their personal lives and how they raise their children,” the Tahlequah Daily Press reported.

“Is there a reason why you won’t answer about the 50 bills targeting the LGBTQ community in the state of Oklahoma?” she asked. “If you are ashamed of those bills, they shouldn’t be there.”

Ms Cott then referred to the case of Nex Benedict, the non-binary teenager who died in Oklahoma after an incident at their high school earlier this month, pressing Woods and the panel on how such laws have placed a target on transgender people in the state.

Woods responded by saying his “heart goes out” to the teen’s loved ones, before adding: “We are a religious state and we are going to fight it to keep that filth out of the state of Oklahoma because we are a Christian state — we are a moral state.”

Tom Woods (Oklahoma State Senate)

He continued: “We want to lower taxes and let people be able to live and work and go to the faith they choose. We are a Republican state and I’m going to vote my district, and I’m going to vote my values, and we don’t want that in the state of Oklahoma.”

Woods’ remarks caused outrage in Oklahoma and beyond, with Oklahoma Democrat Kody Macaulay, a House of Representatives candidate describing Woods as “a pathetic excuse for a human being.”

“With America fixated on Oklahoma, our GOP representatives keep showing their true colors,” he wrote on X. “Tom Woods is a pathetic excuse for a human being who doesn’t reflect the values of the Air Force that I served in.”

Woods took the oath of enlistment and joined the Oklahoma Air National Guard last June.

Senator Kay Floyd, a Democrat representing District 46, also condemned Woods, writing: “As elected officials, we are held to a higher standard. Words have consequences, and this kind of conduct is unbecoming of an elected official. It is our duty to represent and protect everyone, and not make things worse.”

Tahlequah Mayor Suzanne Myers added: “The passing of the Owasso student was a heartbreaking incident. It is a time where we should express empathy and compassion. I believe last week’s legislative briefing in Tahlequah could have been an ideal opportunity to demonstrate these virtues. I praise the citizen who persisted in their questioning of Sen. Woods,” she told The Oklahoman.

In a statement on Monday, Senate Pro Tempore Greg Treat sought to distance the Oklahoma Republican party from Woods’ comments. “Senator Woods and I have spoken, and I made it clear that his remarks were reprehensible and inappropriate,” he said.

“I am of the belief that all people are image-bearers of God and deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. His remarks were not in any way reflective of myself, the Senate Republican caucus, Senate leadership or the Senate overall. In my opinion, he had a serious lapse of judgment and it has distracted from the mission and good work we are attempting to advance on behalf of all Oklahomans.”

Woods was responding to a question about the death of non-binary teenager Nex Benedict (AP)

Meanwhile, Oklahoma State Labor Commissioner Leslie Osborn described Woods’ remarks as “horrifying,” adding that they left her “disheartened, disappointed, and disgusted.”

“We should rise above spewing hate and legislating condemnation for every citizen who does not look like us, vote like us, worship like us or identify or love like us,” she added.

Following the backlash, Woods told the Tahlequah Daily Press he was standing by his comments.

“Firstly, I want to say that a child losing their life is horrible,” he said, adding: “They were a victim of bullying and that is never okay. It is always a tragedy when someone loses their life. I said that Friday and I mean that still today. I hope anyone struggling in a similar position gets the help they need as soon as possible.

“I also want to say that I stand behind what I believe in. The groups and individuals who push gender reassignment on children in our schools, and anyone else who is trying to normalize behaviour that shouldn’t be tolerated, is unacceptable in my mind.

“This is an agenda that is being forced on Oklahoma kids,” he continued. “I will continue to push for a day when kids can be kids again and be free from the pressure of conforming to radical ideologies.”

His remarks came after Oklahoma’s GOP-supermajority legislature introduced 35 anti-LGBTQ bills last year and 54 bills this year, according to the ACLU, including bans on gender-affirming care and a law requiring students to use bathrooms that match the sex listed on their birth certificate.

LGBTQ+ advocates have since argued that the law surrounding bathroom usage in schools helped create a climate that led to the bullying of nonbinary teenager Nex Benedict, who died after a fight in a girl’s bathroom at school.