Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt has come under fire from animal rights activists and fellow lawmakers for showing strong support for cockfighting.
In a video submitted for the Oklahoma Gamefowl Commission’s annual meeting Sunday, Stitt advocated gamefowl farming as important to the rural economy and aligned himself with groups whose mission is to legalize the inhumane sport.
“I wish I could be with you for the Game Poultry Commission’s annual legislative meeting, but I wanted to take a moment to entertain you from the sidelines,” Stitt said.
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt supports the cockfighting competition, saying it’s important to the rural economy. Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images
The second-term Republican governor praised the commission for “preserving” Oklahoma’s cockfighting heritage, which he claimed was the result of the state’s “competition and camaraderie.”
Stitt said cockfighting is also a major driver of the state’s economy, despite being banned in 2002.
“We need to protect the nearly 5,000 game chicken farmers across Oklahoma and boost our rural and urban economies. I look forward to seeing what we accomplish together in the upcoming legislative session,” said Stitt.
The governor said cockfighting is the main driver of the state’s economy, even though it is illegal. AFP via Getty Images
The commission is expected to push for the legalization of cockfighting to be revisited in the 2024 session — lawmakers have failed to pass such legislation in either the Senate or the House of Representatives.
Animal rights activists – including a former Oklahoma governor – slammed Stitt for publicly supporting the abusive sport, which is known to contribute to other underground crimes such as drugs and gambling, and help spread bird flu.
“Cockfighting is barbaric and tied to other crimes,” former Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson, who served from 1995 to 2004, said in a statement.
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt praised the commission for “preserving” Oklahoma’s cockfighting roots. Facebook
“Governor Stitt is associating himself with lawlessness, and that is not an appropriate role for any statewide elected official.”
Former Gov. Frank Keating accused Stitt of being out of touch with his voters, pointing to the 2023 polls proving that less than 10 percent of Oklahomans think cockfighting should be legal and that nearly 90 percent of voters support an existing statewide ban that criminalizes cockfighting.
“It is disgraceful to me that any elected official would seek to turn back the clock on this morally settled issue. Talk of decriminalizing cockfighting is toxic to the idea of economic development and forward progress for our great state,” Keating said.
Wayne Pacelle, president of Animal Wellness Action, said anti-cockfighting is typically unanimous for Oklahoma lawmakers.
He accused the state sheriff of largely turning a blind eye to reports of players at the Oklahoma Gamefowl Commission continuing the sport, which is considered a crime.
“Gov. Stitt’s barely concealed embrace of cockfighting is jarring and unique in American politics,” Pacelle said. “No other governor in any state in my 30 years of working on this issue has ever signaled support for a phased animal crackdown. Any politician who supports it is accepting animal cruelty and lawlessness.”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
