Okla. Gov. Stitt Vetoed PBS Funding Over LGBTQ Content

Republican Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt said Monday he vetoed legislation to continue taxpayer funding for the state’s Public Broadcasting Service because the station has been indoctrinating and oversexualizing children with its LGBTQ content.

On April 26, Stitt vetoed House Bill 2820 that extended funding for the Oklahoma Educational Television Authority (OETA) through July 1, 2026.

"The big, big question is why are we spending taxpayer dollars to prop up or compete with the private sector and run television stations?" Stitt said in an interview with Fox News. "And then when you go through all of the programming that’s happening and the indoctrination and oversexualization of our children, it’s just really problematic, and it doesn’t line up with Oklahoma values."

The OETA broadcasts popular children’s programs such as “Sesame Street” and “Clifford the Big Red Dog,” which have been incorporating LGBTQ themes, such as gay characters, in recent years. The OETA also has aired content such as a “Let’s Learn” segment that featured a drag queen called Lil Miss Hot Mess reading a book titled “The Hips on the Drag Queen Go Swish, Swish, Swish.”

“Oklahoma taxpayers are going, ‘Hey, hang on, time out for just a second. That’s not my values,’ ” Stitt said. “I’m just tired of using taxpayer dollars for some person’s agenda. I represent the taxpayers.”

The measure was passed by a 79-0 vote in the state House and 41-7 vote in the state Senate. Unless the Legislature overrides Stitt’s veto, funding for the OETA will cease July 1.

“I am deeply disappointed that the governor has decided to politicize an institution that is so meaningful to generations of Oklahomans,” state Sen. Carri Hicks, D-Oklahoma City, said in a May 2 news release. I grew up in a rural community where we did not have access to cable or satellite television, but I did have high-quality educational content on PBS.

“Because of OETA, I spent my afternoons after school practicing math and reading. Our governor wants to rob our children of that programming and opportunity to learn just so that he can score some political points. It is truly a shame and a disservice to the people of Oklahoma.”