Oklahoma commission considering change to transphobic rule that led to AEW warning

Until they do, AEW has agreed to comply with the rule barring transgender women like Nyla Rose from performing with cisgender women.

Last month, it came to light that AEW had received a warning from the Oklahoma State Athletic Commission (OSAC) that they violated one of the state’s rules governing wrestling, boxing, kickboxing & mixed martial arts competitions/performances when the promotion was in Oklahoma City on Dec. 23 of last year.

The warning was issued after the commission was informed that Nyla Rose, a transgender woman, had wrestled Alejandra Lion, a cisgender woman, at the Dec. 23 Ring of Honor taping in the state capital.

Wrestlenomics requested and received records related to the ruling, which show Commission Administrator Jim Miller notified AEW Senior Vice-President Chris Harrington on Jan. 4, 2024 that the Rose/Lion match violated the commission’s rule against matches “between males and females,” where OSAC defines a male participant as a person “of the heterogametic sex born with XY chromosomes” and a female one “a person of the homogametic sex with XX chromosomes.”

Miller added closed his written notification to Harrington with:

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 thru [sic] the legislative process for rule-making and would not be in effect until July 2024.

Miller also told AEW that the commission would not follow-up on the warning if the promotion agreed to comply with the rule when they returned to Oklahoma:

“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.”

AEW’s Associate General Counsel, Alissa Harrington, agreed in an email response after being added to the email distribution along with other members of the AEW legal team:

“AEW agrees to the correction. If you have any further questions or concerns, please let Mr. Harrington and me know.”

Shortly after the warning made the news, AEW’s owner, president, and head of creative Tony Khan told the media he didn’t feel the company had done anything wrong and that he “absolutely” stood by Rose. Wrestlenomics points out that Rose did not take part in AEW’s show in Tulsa, Oklahoma on Feb. 21.

Following up about the possible rule change, Wrestlenomics learned that Miller resigned in March. They attempted to follow-up with his successor, Diana Fletcher, and received a response today (May 15) from Oklahoma Assistant Attorney General Mackenzie Hill:

“Ms. Fletcher does not wish to comment at this time on the ongoing matters related to the December 2023 AEW event or the specific rules pertaining to intergender exhibitions or matches. Any actions taken to rules under the jurisdiction of the Commission must be done consistently with timeline and actions prescribed by the Oklahoma Administrative Procedures Act and the Oklahoma Office of Administrative Rules Regulations on Rulemaking. An agenda for the July 10, 2024 public meeting will be made available to the public consistent with the Oklahoma Open Meeting Act, which will prescribe the items of business to be discussed/considered by the Commission during that meeting.”

For her part, Nyla is attempting to do something positive with the situation. She is selling a new shirt with all proceeds going to Freedom Oklahoma, a non-profit organization that “advocates and organizes across Oklahoma and within the 39 sovereign tribal nations that call this land home 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.”

Get yours here.