Ryan Walters' appearance at an Oklahoma State University event suddenly canceled
A scheduled appearance by state schools Superintendent Ryan Walters at a “town hall” event on Friday afternoon at Oklahoma State University has been canceled, event organizers said in a social media post.
Social media posts earlier this week featuring a picture of Walters touted his scheduled appearance at the event, set to start at 5 p.m. at the OSU Student Union in Stillwater. The event was organized by the OSU chapter of Turning Point USA. On its website, Turning Point USA describes itself as a nonprofit group organized “to empower informed civic and cultural engagement grounded in American exceptionalism and a positive spirit of action.”
Opponents of Walters had scheduled a student-led protest to begin at 4:30 p.m. at the site of the event inside the OSU Student Union.
In an Instagram post made late Thursday and signed by “TPUSA-OSU Chapter Executives,” organizers said, “Due to unforeseen circumstances, Ryan Walters is unable to attend our event tomorrow night.”
The post also said there still would be an event hosted “in the same location at the same time” that would include the screening of a Daily Wire movie. It also said a representative from the group Do No Harm would give a short presentation.
The Daily Wire is a politically conservative news agency started by conservative commentator Ben Shapiro in 2015. According to its website, Do No Harm is an organization started in 2022 that “represents physicians, nurses, medical students, patients, and policymakers focused on keeping identity politics out of medical education, research, and clinical practice.”
In their Instagram post, organizers said, “While we share your disappointment, we hope that you will still come out and join us. This will serve as a social opportunity to meet likeminded individuals and further discuss our plans for this organization.”
Dan Isett, a spokesman for Walters, told The Oklahoman "a last-minute scheduling conflict" meant Walters couldn't appear on Friday, but "he is looking forward to speaking to the group soon."
An official from Human Rights Campaign, a LGBTQ+ rights group, noted Walters' withdrawal from the event.
"Is he so shaken by facing Oklahomans calling for his removal that he won’t even appear in front of a friendly crowd?" said Laurel Powell, the director of communications at HRC.
Death of Nex Benedict has resulted in calls for Walters to be removed
Controversy has swirled around Walters for months involving many issues. He’s drawn particular ire after the death last month of Owasso High School student Nex Benedict, which has been ruled as a suicide. Benedict used the pronouns they, them, he and him, raising questions for many people about whether they were bullied because of their gender expansive identity. Their death also has generated nationwide scrutiny over safety of gay and transgender children in Oklahoma schools.
The Human Rights Campaign, among other groups, has called for Walters’ removal as state schools superintendent after Benedict’s death. Walters has described gender fluidity as “the most radical concept we’ve ever come across in K-12 education” and pushed through the state Board of Education a policy requiring schools to get approval from that board before changing a student’s gender in official records. That’s drawn a lawsuit from a Moore Public Schools student.
More: LGBTQ+ advocates denounce DA's decision to not file charges in Nex Benedict's death
Walters referenced Benedict's autopsy results in his monthly report to the state board during a meeting on Thursday, describing the teen's death as a tragedy but never mentioning the name “Nex Benedict” in his comments. He then claimed, without citing specific examples, that the "woke mob" and "radical groups" were using Benedict's death to further their own motives while being aided by the “fake news media.”
"And you are going to hear these groups, this woke mob, continue to push an agenda and lie to further the most radical agenda this country has ever seen," Walters said.
On Friday morning, Powell responded on behalf of the HRC.
"Every single person allowed to speak at yesterday's Board of Education meeting -- all Oklahomans or parents with kids in Oklahoma schools -- told Ryan Walters to his face that he has failed at his job and is harming Oklahoma students," Powell said. "They have clearly had enough of his cruelty and his incompetence, both of which were on full display during the meeting. His opposition is not a straw man 'woke mob,' but the people he pretends to serve. Ryan Walters must be removed."
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Ryan Walters appearance at Oklahoma State student event canceled
