Karen Kipgen, Page Program Supervisor for the Oklahoma House of Representatives, sent out a Capitol-wide email warning members and their staff of “crossdressers in the building.”
The Page Program is for high school sophomores, juniors and seniors seeking to serve in the House to help elected officials.
Several sources sent Raw Story photos of the email of Kipgen’s warning.
“As per the Speaker’s office, Pages are being allowed access to the ladies restroom across from 401, for today. Again, there are cross-dressers in the building.”
[…]
The state’s LGBT organization Oklahomans for Equality, as well as Planned Parenthood and other HIV/AIDS advocacy groups, were visiting the Capitol as part of an education advocacy day.
[…]
“I’m with about 70 traumatized students right now,” Toby Jenkins, Oklahoman’s for Equality executive director, told Raw Story over the phone. He explained that they went to the House Speaker Charles McCall’s office with questions about the email but that the Speaker refused to meet with them. He did tell them that the email did not come from the Speaker’s office and that they’re investigating whose office sent the email.
Way to be a nasty asshole, Oklahoma. (#NotAllOklahomans, I know. You need to hold these willfully ignorant assholes to the fire.) Via Raw Story.
Um, the email was signed… How much investigation is needed to call Karen Kipgen on the carpet and demand an explanation and damage control?
Did she think no one in the group would find out about that email?
I think it’s just the standard stonewalling in an effort to cover asses, I doubt they think about it at all, let alone consider taking responsibility.
I bet someone hacked her computer while she wasn’t looking.
rq, I’ve just been waiting for that excuse, because you know it’s coming.
I guess they don’t have to warn about bigoted assholes being in the Oklahoma Capitol, because their presence is a constant and a notorious fact.
What’s particularly disturbing about the way the students were treated (and this goes well beyond one email!) was this:
WTF??? How hard is it to be kind?
How about just being normal, ffs? They acted like those kids were a pack of ravenous zombies, after their brains. Not that their brains would have provided sustenance.
rq@#3:
I bet someone hacked her computer while she wasn’t looking.
Nowadays that’s less of an excuse and more of a warning that there’s going to be a feeding frenzy on wikileaks. Which is good, actually.
Marcus
I doubt the Republicans are so up-to-date. :