Oklahoma Athletic Commission considering rule change for transgender wrestlers
The Oklahoma State Athletic Commission is considering a rule change that would allow transgender pro wrestlers to perform in the state.
The commission had previously warned AEW that matches involving a person of “the heterogametic sex born with XY chromosomes” competing against someone of “the homogametic sex with XX chromosomes” are not permitted in the state. The warning came as a result of the commission being notified of a match between transgender female wrestler Nyla Rose against cis-gendered female wrestler Alejandra Lion in December when AEW ran the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City.
Through a public information request, Wrestlenomics was able to obtain emails that show the commission notified AEW SVP Chris Harrington in January that they believe the above-stated rule was violated. However, an email from OSAC’s administrator Jim Miller noted that the commission is considering a change to the rule.
“For your information the Commission is currently in discussion to possibly change this rule. However if it is determined by the Commission that the rule should be changed it will have to go through the legislative process for rule-making and would not be in effect until July 2024,” Miller wrote.
Miller also told AEW that if they agreed not to violate the state’s rule again, his email would be as far as the matter would be taken.
“The correction to this violation is for you the promoter to not allow a male to wrestle a female at any future events promoted in the State of Oklahoma. If you are good with correcting this violation this email is as far as it will go. If you prefer to present your case in a hearing before the Commission we can also accommodate that,” he wrote.
According to Wrestlenomics, AEW’s Associate General Counsel, Alissa Harrington, replied to the email and stated that AEW agreed to correct the violation.
“AEW agrees to the correction. If you have any further questions or concerns, please let Mr. Harrington and me know,” she wrote. The full report from Wrestlenomics is available here.
When Tony Khan was asked about the OSAC’s warning in April, he noted that he was just finding out about it and didn’t believe his company did anything wrong. He said AEW supports and was standing by Rose.
AEW ran another event in Oklahoma in February when it presented a Dynamite and Rampage taping in Tulsa on February 23. Rose did not perform on the show.
Rose has since launched a new t-shirt with all proceeds going to Freedom Oklahoma, an organization that works “to build a future where all Two Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and fuller spectrum of people whose sexuality or gender or romantic identity exists beyond a heteronormative, binary framework (2SLGBTQ+), have the safety to thrive.”
