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UPDATE 2: Neither AEW or Tony Khan responded directly to RealRasslin, however, Tony Khan has issued a statement on the subject during a media call. Tony Khan is disappointed in the actions of the Athletic Commission and believes they have done no wrong. According to a tweet by Brandon Thurston. A follow up by on the subject by Samantha Schipman asked if AEW would return to Oklahoma. Khan was noncommittal on that subject.
Professional wrestling is entertainment. It does not matter which promotion you favor, we all know the outcomes are scripted. This article is not meant to diminish the athletics or risk individuals take when stepping into the ring. However, it is to point out problems with Athletic Commissions, particularly the Oklahoma Athletic Commission. The general purpose of an Athletic Commission is to protect athletes.
Recently, several independent wrestlers were suspended for performing in an unsanctioned wrestling event; an event held on tribal lands which is a whole different can of worms. These actions are potentially protecting the safety of athletes. While trying to investigate that a little farther I found something else. The Athletic Commission discussed punishing AEW for a transgender competing against a female. What does that have to do with safety? That topic was on their January agenda.
The only trans wrestler on the AEW roster is Nyla Rose. This means the incident happened on Dec. 20, 2023 at their Holiday Bash taping in Oklahoma City. The match was recorded for Ring of Honor: Honor Club 44. Nyla would win that match.
UPDATE
The Oklahoma Athletic Commission chose to only warn AEW of future punishment if this infraction is repeated. The fact that a trans wrestler was on the card slipped past the OSAC. "OSAC had no idea as the wrestler had filled his [Nyla Rose] wrestling license application out as female" The quote is taken from their minutes. The warning is the same actions taken against another unnamed promotion.
The Oklahoma Athletic Commission was careful on how they worded their agenda topic. They worded it as transgender and not intergender. (Last year they suspended wrestlers for intergender matches.) Stating it that way keeps the argument of gender out of the equation, slightly. It acknowledges Nyla Rose as a female competitor. The Oklahoman posted an article about Oklahoma banning trans athletes on competitive sports teams in April of 2021. In that article it mentions the potential for the Olympics and NCAA to pull out of Oklahoma for such anti-trans legislation. The athletic commission in their application denotes males as having XY chromosomes and females as having XX chromosomes. Here is an excerpt from the state statues:
92:10-1-5. (c) The Commission will not approve sanctioning permits between human participants and non-humans or between males and females. A male participant is a person of the heterogametic sex born with XY chromosomes. A female participant is a person born of the homogametic sex with XX chromosomes.
The way the laws are written it equates trans wrestling with intergender wrestling and excludes individuals with chromosomal disorders like Klinefelter's Syndrome. That is based solely on the definitions set out by the Oklahoma Athletic Commission and not personal beliefs. Because the issue of trans wrestling and intergender wrestling is so intertwined from here on out they will be lumped together.
The Oklahoma Athletics Commission discussed intergender wrestling in their April meeting. The Commission meets quarterly. When asked about specifically about intergender wrestling and the Oklahoma Athletic Commission Logan Knight, Oklahoma Professional Wrestler and one half mixed tag team of Onlyfriends, had this to say:
I think intergender wrestling is fantastic because it creates a ton of new mediums for storytelling and entertainment purposes. I hate that the commission here in Oklahoma doesn’t allow it because honestly it could be making them a whole lot more money. For a lot it’s a taboo idea but in my eyes I see us as a special attraction that people don’t normally get to see. The line of thinking with the commission is incredibly outdated because they base this ruling on thought that women could never compete with men athletically and I personally don’t find it true. My tag team partner [Stormy Renee] is a 6 feet of bad weather and I’d be damned to even try her myself! I hope with effort, the right backing, and support from the fans that we’ll be able to help turnover the intergender rule here in Oklahoma.
3A O.S. § 615 (OSCN 2024) makes violations of the Athletic Commision misdemeanors. with potential punishment of $1,000 fine or 30 days in a county jail. So this means that A trans athlete or other person participating in intergender matches can potentially go to jail for wrestling in Oklahoma. Alternative punitive actions the State of Oklahoma can take are a $500 fine or 1% of gross revenues. So, 1% of ticket sales could go to the Oklahoma Athletic Commission to enforce bigotry.
Nibira Loveless a female who competes in Oklahoma states the following:
“Intergender wrestling is really hard to get over at first since most of the world has the immediate mentality of "that's just a man beating up a woman." I understand that mindset, but also it's heavily and severely outdated. It's 2024. A lot more women in any industry are learning to stand up for themselves and truly have that "equality" mindset. We train with guys anyway, since this has always been a male-dominated sport. As far as the OAC is concerned, why are they still around? I haven't met anyone who has anything nice to say about them. Other states do just fine without having one”
Nibira
The following is the opinions of the author and not necessarily those of Real Rasslin.
I feel like the state's athletic commission is out of line with their regulations of not only intergender wrestling but the potential punitive measures taken against AEW. The statutes are based in bigotry. Gov. Stitt and the Republican Legislature are to partially to blame for this with their anti-LGBTQ stances. As recently as February of 2024 Oklahoma was in the news about a nonbinary student's death from bullying stemming from gender identity.
Besides banning intergender wrestling by the 92:10-1-5 it also bans other types of matches. Al Snow could never have faced Head in Oklahoma as Head is technically a mannequin. Kenny Omega could not wrestle a sex doll like he did in DDT over in Japan. No wrestling a mop to a five star match. The intent I can only assume was to keep people from wrestling bears, gator, and other such animals but it has farther reaching implications. All those issues are just out of one subsection of Oklahoma law. It encroaches in other portions of the show in other portions of the law.
Wrestling promoters should be responsible for booking matches and not based off rules dictated to them based on scientific principles that can conflict with the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual Fifth Edition Text Revision (DSM-5-TR) which is used to diagnose gender dysphoria which a medical diagnosis for trans individuals used to seek out gender affirming care. DSM-5-TR is not perfect but is more accommodating than identifying gender based on genetics.
That is not to say the Athletic Commission is all bad. Some of their regulations are ensuring the ring is up to par in their construction. There are specific criteria the ring must meet. Additionally the Athletic Commission makes athletes physicals and blood tests. We don't want accidental transfer of blood borne diseases when they can be prevented.
In short, I believe the scale of the Oklahoma Athletic Commission needs scaled back. Promoters are more than capable of deciding what is best for their promotion. If they are not they can go out of business. The current regulations hurts wrestling in Oklahoma and sets us in an archaic realm. As the rules stand Effy, Joey Janella, GCW, and other popular promotions will never have shows here. If AEW was punished who know if they will come back to Oklahoma as they are a conscientious promotion that does not scoff at bigotry as shown by banning Hulk Hogan, booting fans for transphobic signs, and it being touted as a destination for LGTBQ Athletes.
UPDATE
Now knowing what actions the Commission took gives me a slight measure of peace but also further aggravates me. I am glad it was just a warning. Remember it could have been far worse. However, I am still angered. The commission in their official documents misgendered Nyla Rose. That is disrespectful. I am not the first to ask about proper pronouns but if I am asked to use a specific one I will do my best to accept that wish. I am human and may misspeak at times and have done so with nonbinary individuals I know. This is still a shame what Oklahoma has done.
I am not an expert on all the athletic commissions around the world. With the secretive nature of Oklahoma's commission I can't even say I am an expert on it. What I can say is if you want to try and create change in wrestling for the better look into your local rules and see if changes are needed like the ones in Oklahoma. Then reach out to them and tell them you want the change. If this article moved you to want to speak out flood the Oklahoma Athletic Commission with outrage. Email: boxing@health.ok.gov Or write the address below
Mailing Address:
Oklahoma State Athletic Commission
123 Robert S. Kerr, Ste. 1234
Oklahoma City, OK 73102
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