OKLAHOMA CITY — A parent speaking at the April 25 State Board of Education meeting was handcuffed and removed during public comment.
Parent Audra Beasley's speaking time ran out, and her son began speaking at the podium when Beasley continued speaking loudly at the board.
Beasley was speaking about State Superintendent Ryan Walters' position on President Joe Biden's recent revisions to Title IX when tensions rose. The President's amendments clarify Title IX to also forbid discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.
Walters called these changes "one of the most illegal and radical moves we have ever seen from the Federal Government."
Biden's re-write of Title IX is one of the most illegal and radical moves we have ever seen from the Federal Government. Oklahoma will not sit idly by while radicals trample on the Constitution and take away women's rights. We are taking swift and aggressive action against Biden… pic.twitter.com/ybcG9bDApQ
— Superintendent Ryan Walters (@RyanWaltersSupt) April 25, 2024
Beasley's speech accused Walters and the State Board of Education of denying disability accommodations, as well as restroom accommodations for transgender people.
With her son at the podium, Beasley can be heard yelling, "You are disgusting. You are so rude. You are a bigot and a bully."
Beasley continued saying her son's federal rights were being violated when Oklahoma Highway Patrol troopers entered the room.
Here's the moment Beasley was arrested:
OHP said she was arrested for willfully disrupting state business/public meeting and for causing a disruption and willfully refusing to disperse or leave.
Superintendent Walters declined to comment about the incident.
Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere --
- Download our free app for Apple, Android and Kindle devices.
- Sign up for daily newsletters emailed to you
- Like us on Facebook
- Follow us on Instagram
- SUBSCRIBE on YouTube
