Oklahoma school board defies state pressure over transgender bathroom rule

An Oklahoma school board said it will not rescind a 7-year-old policy allowing bathroom use based on gender identity unless forced to by the state government.

The controversy began after Oklahoma Attorney General John O’Connor and state Education Secretary Ryan Walters sent separate letters to the Stillwater School Board earlier this month, informing the district that its policy allowing students to use bathrooms based on gender identity rather than biological sex was inconsistent with Title IX prohibitions on sex discrimination.