Oklahoma Gov. Stitt signed HB 3586 shielding refusal to affirm a child's gender transition in adoption and foster placements

On May 7, 2026, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt signed House Bill 3586, styled the "Parents Protection Act of 2026" (also called the "Right to Raise Act"), after the Legislature passed it during the 2026 regular session. The law amends the Oklahoma Children's Code and the state's adoption statutes to bar denying or delaying an adoption or foster placement on the basis of a prospective parent's refusal, unwillingness, or lack of support for enabling a child to undergo a gender transition. It further provides that raising a child "consistent with their biological sex," or declining to affirm a gender transition, does not constitute child abuse or neglect. The measure takes effect November 1, 2026.

The House author, Rep. Erick Harris (R-Edmond), framed the law as reinforcing a parent's "fundamental right" to raise children according to their own beliefs; the Senate author was Sen. Kristen Thompson (R-Edmond). Supporters described it as protecting parents who use "biologically accurate language." Advocates for transgender youth countered that the statute permits caregivers to withhold gender-affirming support and could expose children to non-affirming environments without the abuse-and-neglect scrutiny that would otherwise apply.

By carving transgender minors out of ordinary child-welfare protections in the adoption and foster context, the law singles out a protected characteristic for disadvantaged treatment. It was signed the same day as Oklahoma HB 1225, a separate birth-certificate measure recorded independently, as part of the state's 2026 anti-transgender legislative slate.

Updates

2026-05-23 — Advocacy group said the law permits abusive treatment of transgender youth [2]

Cole McAfee, executive director of Freedom Oklahoma, said HB 3586 "permit[s] what amounts to abusive behavior towards trans+ kids," warning it could place LGBTQ+ foster youth in non-affirming homes and increase their risk of conversion-therapy exposure and suicide.