Report: Oklahoma senator calls LGBTQ+ ‘filth’ when asked about Nex Benedict, gender legislation
An Oklahoma state senator is being quoted as calling the LGBTQ+ community "filth" and saying the people in his district don't want them in the state.
"I represent a constituency that doesn't want that filth in Oklahoma," Sen. Tom Woods, R-Westville, was quoted by a newspaper as saying during a legislative forum Friday sponsored by the Tahlequah Area Chamber of Commerce.
Woods was attending the forum when he and other lawmakers in attendance were asked a question by a woman in the audience, according Tahlequah Daily Press.
"Why does the Legislature have such an obsession with the LGBTQ citizens of Oklahoma and what people do in their personal lives and how they raise their children?" the woman asked.
She noted that a 16-year-old student, Nex Benedict, had died earlier this month after an altercation at Owasso High School.
Nex's death has generated widespread calls for schools to better protect students who may be bullied because of their gender and sexual identities. Nex, who went by the pronouns they, them, was part of the LGBTQ+ community, their friends and family have said.
While the death remains under investigation, it has put Oklahoma under a harsh spotlight for political rhetoric and policies that many see as an invitation to bullying of the LGBTQ+ community.
More: What we know and what we don't about death of Oklahoma teen Nex Benedict
According to the Daily Press, Woods responded that while "my heart goes out" in regard to Nex's death, he represents a constituency.
"We are a Republican state – supermajority – in the House and Senate. I represent a constituency that doesn't want that filth in Oklahoma," Woods said, according to the newspaper account.
"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," Woods added.
A smattering of applause could be heard on an audio tape made at the meeting by the Daily Press.
Woods was not available by phone and did not respond to an email asking for his response to the news report.
Woods represents Oklahoma's Senate District 4, which stretches along the eastern border of the state and includes Adair, Cherokee, Delaware and Sequoyah counties. He is listed as living in Westville, which is about 60 miles east of Muskogee.
More: What does 'gender-expansive' mean? Oklahoma teen's death puts identity in spotlight.
LISTEN: Audio of Oklahoma Senator calling LGBTQ+ community 'filth'
Click the audio player below to listen to how Woods' answered questions about anti-LGBTQ+ legislation and the death of Nex Benedict.
Audio courtesy Tahlequah Daily Press.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Report: Oklahoma senator calls LGBTQ+ ‘filth’ when asked about gender issues
