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A day after Oklahoma House Republicans censured Rep. Mauree Turner (D-OKC) and stripped them of all their committee assignments, a violent, racist and hate-filled e-mail directed to Rep. Turner was shared on social media.
On Tuesday, Democratic state lawmakers warned their GOP colleagues that their targeting of Rep. Turner, the first and only Muslim and nonbinary legislator in Oklahoma history, would result in more death threats.
In an e-mail filled with racist, anti-Muslim and misgendering epithets, those warnings turned into reality.
“Not only are you one fugly woman your a worthless colored terrorist democrat and a fucking oyster schukin fag,” read a message to Rep. Turner’s official government email sent from militia.movement.836@gmail.com.
“Now let’s get into the felony you committed which is no real surprise considering you are a nigger a democrat and a muslim,” it continues.
Rep. Turner faces hate mail after Republican attacks
The hate message comes a day after Republicans accused Rep. Turner of “harboring” a trans individual in their office. Last week, tensions became heated when a trans individual allegedly threw water on a lawmaker after the state House passed HB 2177, which bans or limits access to gender-affirming care for trans Oklahomans of all ages. Rep. Turner was accused of blocking law enforcement from entering their office to arrest another trans individual who allegedly sought refuge amidst a hostile legislature.
In a party-line vote of 81-19, Republicans sought to make an example out of Rep. Turner, the first and only publicly nonbinary state lawmaker in Oklahoma history.
Republicans gave them the ultimatum of apologizing to law enforcement or being silenced, but Rep. Turner stood their ground.
“I think an apology for loving the people of Oklahoma is something that I cannot do,” Rep Turner, who was first elected in 2020, said, adding, “I will never apologize for showing up fully and freely as myself. I will never apologize for allowing the people of Oklahoma to show up fully and freely as themselves because that is the work that they elected me to do.”
Joined by their Democratic colleagues, Rep. Turner passionately expressed the trauma they go through in a Capitol building with colleagues that seek to alienate and demonize them and their community at every turn.
House GOP reports hate message against Rep. Mauree Turner to OSBI
Over 40 bills have been proposed this session targeting trans, nonbinary, or LGBTQ+ Oklahomans, according to Freedom Oklahoma.
“Go fuck yourself and get out of American government. You have no place here,” the hate message continues.
The Black Wall Street Times reached out to the communications director for the Oklahoma House Republican Caucus to determine whether the hate message had been reported.
“The House condemns all emails of this nature sent to representatives,” OHRC Communications Director Daniel Seitz told The Black Wall Street Times. “They are reprehensible, inexcusable and have been reported to the proper authorities. Members on both sides of the aisle regularly receive threatening and insulting emails and all are taken seriously by House security and the OSBI,” he added.
When asked if this specific hate message had been reported, Seitz said “this email, as with all threatening emails, has been reported to the proper authorities.”
Yet as data from the Trevor Project shows bills and debates targeting trans individuals negatively impact their mental health, it’s unlikely that the hate messages Rep. Turner receives will cease.
Rep. Monroe Nichols (D-Tulsa) didn’t hide his outrage.
“I’m sure Rep. Mauree Turner feels extremely safe now that militia movement has been unleashed on them by my OK House GOP colleagues without any investigation into any wrongdoing,” Rep. Nichols said on Twitter Wednesday. “This is ONE of many hateful messages. I’m so angry I can barely see straight. Congrats folks.”
