Animal rights organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has responded to Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt’s video message in support of the Oklahoma Gamefowl Commission. Numerous animal welfare groups have slammed the Oklahoma Gamefowl Commission, citing it as an organization that supports cockfighting, an activity illegal not only in Oklahoma but in all 50 US states.
In Gov. Stitt’s video, he addressed the members of the Commission, saying, “I wish I could be with you for the Gamefowl Commission’s annual legislative meeting, but I wanted to take a moment to cheer you on from the sidelines. Oklahomans like yourselves remained dedicated to the spirit of competition and camaraderie that runs deep in our communities.”
Various animal welfare groups have denounced Gov Stitt’s statement.
PETA Director Kristin Rickman issued the following statement: “While Gov. Stitt’s buddies try and fail to roll back Oklahoma’s animal protection laws, it’s clear that the majority of Oklahomans solidly reject having their state become a hideout for cockfighters. It’s called “cockfighting,” not “rooster fighting,” for a reason—and PETA reminds everyone that only cowardly men, insecure in their own manhood, get excited by strapping razor-sharp spurs to chickens and forcing them to fight to the death.”
The organization added, “PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment or abuse in any other way”—opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview.”
Gov. Stitt has since attempted to retract his support for the Commission.
