Is the Oklahoma Legislature smarter than the AMA?
- by Revan Health Care
The American Medical Association (AMA) recognizes gender dysphoria as a legitimate medical condition and strongly supports access to evidence-based, gender-affirming care. The AMA also advocates for shared patient-physician decision-making and opposes legislative interference in clinical settings.
However, as of May 12, Senate Bill 904 has been signed into law in Oklahoma. The bill prohibits the use of public funds—including state Medicaid (SoonerCare)—and state facilities for gender transition procedures for both minors and adults. The ban includes hormone therapy.
Once signed into law by Governor Kevin Stitt, it took effect immediately as an “emergency” measure.
The bill forbids state money from any source from being used to subsidize, reimburse, or provide gender transition procedures. It prevents any state property, building or facility from being used to provide these procedures, and any state officer or employee who intentionally violates the provisions is guilty of a misdemeanor.
There is but one exception, and with that, the law allows for mental health counseling, behavioral health care, and treatments for individuals with disorders of sex development (intersex conditions), as well as care for life-threatening conditions or complications resulting from prior procedures.
All of this has been decided by the Oklahoma Legislature and endorsed by the governor, despite the AMA’s opposition to legislative interference in this matter.
At Revan Health, we believe that healthcare decisions should be made by patients, families, and qualified medical providers, not politicians.
According to the Williams Institute, about 1% of the U.S. population identifies as transgender, which would equate to just under 40,000 Oklahomans.
While SB 904 does not appear to constitute a total statewide ban on gender-affirming care for adults, its impact will still be significant. In May, Tulsa’s Oklahomans for Equality released a formal statement opposing the bill and reaffirming their commitment to continuing care through their clinic.
“The impact of SB 904 is already being felt,” said Hailey Briggs, Executive Director at Oklahomans for Equality. “We are hearing from transgender Oklahomans and their families who are frightened, uncertain, and trying to understand what access to healthcare will look like moving forward.”
Briggs continued, “For many people, the barriers created by this legislation are not abstract. Delayed care, increased travel, higher out-of-pocket costs, and fear of losing access altogether place enormous strain on individuals and families who are simply trying to access medically necessary healthcare. Too often, those most impacted are people with the fewest financial resources and the fewest alternatives for care.
“Oklahoma already ranks 47th in the nation for health outcomes. At a time when our state faces healthcare workforce shortages and growing mental health needs, restricting access to evidence-based care only deepens the crisis for vulnerable Oklahomans.”
Steve Lewis of the Oklahoma Policy Institute writes, “It’s likely that many Oklahomans have been able to find that life with the help of treatments that are available and qualify as medically necessary to sustain their life and health. It’s also likely that many of them, being part of a small minority that is unacceptable to many, are not in a financial position to pay for the treatments they need without help through Medicaid.
“Many Oklahomans are born with conditions, both physical and mental, that require regular, lifelong treatment to sustain their health and life, and many get that treatment from Medicaid. Gender transition treatments should be no different.”
Lewis also served as Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives from 1989-1990, and he currently practices law in Tulsa.
Revan Health also believes that every person deserves dignity, safety, and access to medically appropriate healthcare. We will continue to provide this level of care, regardless of this discriminatory law, which clearly targets our transgender community.
For the complete text, legislative history, and current status, you can review the Oklahoma Legislature SB 904 Overview.
The Gayly online. 6/2/26 @ 1:24 p.m. CST.