Editing Ralph Shortey (section)

===Political career===
Shortey first became involved in politics in 2002, when he was active in a number of Republican political campaigns, and went on to establish a right-wing political consultancy firm. His political positions included opposition to homosexuality, illegal immigration, gun control, abortion, transgenderism and drug legalization. 

Shortey was first elected to the Oklahoma Senate in 2011, beating Democratic nominee Randy Rose with 57% of the vote. As senator, he and other Republican politicians attempted to introduce a variety of laws regulating LGBT issues, mostly relating to discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. He also unsuccessfully attempted to have the Oklahoma State Senate grant Senators the right to carry guns into the Senate. Shortey briefly became a figure of national ridicule in 2012 when he attempted to introduce a bill banning the alleged widespread use of aborted foetuses in food, apparently to deter their use in stem cell research. This bill was never passed and didn't even receive a committee hearing.

Shortey was re-elected in 2014, beating Michael Brooks-Jimenez with 52% of the vote. In February 2017, he was widely criticized for attempting to undo legislation voted for by the Oklahoma public that made marijuana use a misdemeanour rather than a felony. This was rejected. He also successfully passed a bill allowing businesses to discriminate on the grounds of sexual orientation. Shortey resigned in March 2017 after his sex trafficking indictment, after which Brooks-Jimenez won 54% of the vote and took his seat.