Turner first served in the 58th Oklahoma Legislature. During the 58th legislative session, Turner was an outspoken critic of multiple anti-LGBT bills proposed in the legislature. Specifically, Turner worked against bills that would seek to bar transgender athletes from competing in the sports of their gender. Turner has described the legislature as unwelcoming towards them. They have said, "sometimes, I'm like, 'This does feel like a direct attack on me… I think it is also folks who come into these bodies that aren't prepared to do the real work, but want to legislate from a place of bigotry, or a place of fear." Of the fourteen bills Turner filed in the first session, none were given a committee hearing by the Republican-led Oklahoma House of Representatives.[11]
On February 28, 2023, the Oklahoma House of Representatives passed H.B. 2177;[15] the bill would ban gender-affirming medical care for transgender children.[16] During protests that day, a protester allegedly tossed water on Representative Bob Ed Culver Jr. and had a physical interaction[note 1] with a police officer.[18] After the altercation, the protester was locked in Turner's office; The Oklahoma Highway Patrol alleged Turner refused to unlock the office when they communicated with them through the door.[19] On March 7, the Republican-controlled Oklahoma House voted along party lines to censure Representative Turner.[16][20] They were also removed from their committee assignments until a written apology is sent to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol and Speaker Charles McCall.[19] Turner denied wrongdoing saying "I just provide my office as space of grace and love for all the folks in all communities that seek refuge from the hate in this building... Trans people don't feel safe here."[18] They also declined to apologize, stating "I think an apology for loving the people of Oklahoma is something that I cannot do."[16] Oklahoma House Democrats criticized the censure because no investigation was done before the censure, Turner had not committed a crime, and because multiple members of the Republican majority that were facing indictment had yet to be censured.[19][note 2]The New York Times compared Turner's censure to the Montana House of Representatives censure of Zooey Zephyr, another transgender state lawmaker, who was censured for giving a speech in the Montana chamber for saying supporters of an anti-transgender health bill had "blood on [their] hands" for voting for a bill "tantamount to torture."[25]
^Reporting was divided on whether the protester hit the officer, or if the officer grabbed the protester, threw them to the ground, and attempted to pin them.[17]
^In March 2023, three Republican legislators of the 59th Oklahoma Legislature were facing charges: Terry O'Donnell (conspiracy against the state), Ryan Martinez (driving while intoxicated), and Dean Davis (public intoxication).[21] Davis was later censured on March 27.[22] Charges against O'Donnell were dismissed in early April.[23] Martinez is, as of March 2023, currently under indictment and has not been censured.[24]
