Republicans in the Ohio House passed a sweeping slate of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation on Wednesday, moving these bills on to the Ohio Senate for consideration.
The bills approved were:
- HB 8: The Parents’ Bill of Rights
- HB 68: The Save Adolescents from Experimentation (SAFE) Act and the Save Women’s Sports Act
Despite Ohio House Democrats wearing rainbow pins, sporting rainbow earrings and speaking passionately in defense of LGBTQ+ youth, the bills were approved along party lines, with the supermajority of Republicans passing the legislation by wide margins.
HB 8
“The Parents’ Bill of Rights” would force all teachers and school staff — including social workers and school counselors — to out LGBTQ+ students to their parents, even if there is suspected anti-LGBTQ+ abuse within the home.
The bill also requires parental notification regarding materials in the curriculum that include any description of “sexuality concepts or gender ideology,” which opponents of the bill say will stifle teachers from mentioning LGBTQ+ identity in the classroom for fear of repercussions.
Republicans attempted to forestall dissent by immediately declaring that the bill was solely about protecting the rights of parents.
“The Parents’ Bill of Rights is not anti-LGBTQ, nor does it have anything to do with the LGBTQ+ community,” said bill co-sponsor Sara Carruthers (R-Hamilton).
Carruthers’ assertion was at odds with the actual language of the bill, which establishes a restrictive and factually incorrect definition of biological sex and specifically mandates parental notification in the event that a student identifies “as a gender that does not align with the student’s biological sex.”
“Many in this chamber have lost the idea that parents are in charge … and are the decision-makers for our children,” Carruthers said in a statement that would become ironic a few hours later, given the forthcoming debate on HB 68, which limits parents’ rights.
Democrats were quick to label the bill as anti-LGBTQ+ and a “hateful attack.”
“My colleagues have introduced a piece of legislation that they believe will stop teachers from saying “gay” in classrooms and force educators to out their students,” said Rep. Jessica Miranda (D-Forest Park). “We all know this is part of a larger movement sweeping our country where they are trying to bully our [LGBTQ+] children.”
After highlighting how insulting the bill was to the LGBTQ+ community – particularly during Pride Month – Rep. Juanita Brent (D-Cleveland) relayed a recent meeting with a constituent whose parents kicked him out of his home after he was outed to them.
“He said, they tried to whoop the gay out of him,” a visibly emotional Brent said. “Whoop the gay out of him. Even though he is with another family now, these laws that we are putting into place are making these kids unsafe.”
Rep. Adam Bird (R-New Richmond) invoked the specter of nefarious teachers as a rationale for HB 8.
“Not every teacher in Ohio is as professional as [Rep. Sean Brennan, a former teacher],” Bird said. “That’s what this bill is for. We keep hearing reports of teachers who are trying to subversively teach these sexuality subjects.”
The bill passed 65-29, with one Republican voting against the bill: Rep. Jamie Callendar (R-Concord).
HB 68
House Bill 68 is legislation aimed at banning gender-affirming care for Ohio’s LGBTQ+ youth. At a hearing last week, the language from HB 6 – a separate bill banning trans female participation in athletics – was folded into HB 68, creating a far-reaching anti-trans omnibus bill.
The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Gary Click (R-Vickery), spoke first on Wednesday, and listed his oft-repeated script that he has invoked at multiple previous hearings: comparing gender-affirming care to genital mutilation, claiming detransitioners are the most discriminated-against members of the LGBTQ+ community and contending that the bill had the support of “gays, lesbians, trans people and atheists.”
Rep. Jena Powell (R-Arcanum), sponsor of HB 6, expressed her “excitement” about banning trans women from sports.
“I’m thrilled that this piece of legislation is included with the SAFE Act,” she said.
Rep. Anita Somani (D-Dublin), an OB-GYN, attempted to dispel what she described as “a lot of disinformation” about gender-affirming care and asserted that the bill had very little to do with the “medical ethics” that Rep. Click repeatedly referenced earlier.
“This is not about taking care of people. This is about pushing a political agenda that is happening across the United States,” she said.
Somani also highlighted this week’s federal court decision ruling that the Arkansas ban on gender-affirming care for transgender minors violates the U.S. Constitution.
“For those of you who believe in fiscal responsibility and not wasting tax-payers money, I would advise you to oppose this bill, not only because it is a terrible bill but also because it will waste taxpayer money [taking] away constitutional rights. It is indefensible,” she said.
Rep. Michael Skindell (D-Lakewood) returned to the idea of Pride Month that Rep. Brent had mentioned hours earlier.
“June 2023 in Ohio will be remembered by how the Ohio House of Representatives demonstrated outright hostility towards the LGBTQ+ community,” he said. “House Bill 8 was the first attack on the community. House Bill 68 is the second and third attacks on the LGBTQ+ community in Ohio.”
Skindell also said that HB 68 violates the Ohio Constitution, which specifies that no law shall inhibit Ohioans’ access to life, liberty or healthcare.
Rep. Beth Liston (D-Dublin), a board-certified physician in both pediatrics and internal medicine, called HB 68 one of the most extreme bills in the country and would result in children’s clinics closing across Ohio.
“To me the arrogance of this bill is mind-blowing,” Liston said. “Every single major medical organization supports evidence-based gender-affirming care, which doesn’t include surgeries for kids under 18.”
Liston also directly addressed the anecdotal approach Rep. Click took in presenting HB 68:
“Believing that you can talk to a handful of individuals with a clear agenda, read some popular books and blogs by people spewing misinformation and then somehow think you are qualified to conclude that people who have spent their lives studying this field of medicine and who work directly with children with gender dysphoria are completely wrong is just baffling to me. Listening to some of my colleagues on the other side is a little painful because the science knowledge is so minimal.”
Rep. Beth Liston (D-Dublin)
The bill passed 64-28, with two Republican voting against the bill: Rep. Brett Hillyer (R-Uhrichsville) and, again, Rep. Callender.
Swift reactions
Immediately following the passage of HB 68, Sen. Nickie Antonio (D-Lakewood), the only out LGBTQ+ Ohio legislator, released a statement.
“House Bill 68 and House Bill 8 are the latest Republican overreaches that will endanger the life, health and well-being of Ohio’s students and families,” said Antonio. “Gender-affirming healthcare is more than an ethical, moral or religious dilemma. It is a matter of life or death. Gender-affirming care saves lives, but Republicans would rather attack parents’ rights in helping their children get lifesaving medical care.”
She highlighted that HB 8 and HB 68 are part of a larger nationwide attack of over 500 anti-LGBTQ+ bills and that their passing reflected poorly on Ohio.
“If Ohio truly wants to be a state of opportunity for all, we cannot continue to pass such harmful legislation,” said Antonio. “It’s important to remind our colleagues and business community members that young people are leaving states like Ohio at an alarming rate, and regressive policies like this are part of the problem.”
Maria Bruno, public policy director at Equality Ohio, said that LGBTQ+ advocates were not surprised but still disappointed to see HB 8 and HB 68 advance.
“Trans youth in Ohio are not political pawns and their lives are not a game,” Bruno said. “While they argue HB 8 is about protecting parental rights, these folks showed their true colors when in the same session, they voted to take away the right of parents to get lifesaving medical care for their kids. They just voted to ban care that every major medical association endorses. It’s an affront to science, small government, and parental rights.”
Bruno does not want Ohioans to lose hope and urges them to contact their state senator.
“I want to remind folks that the fight is far from over,” Bruno said. “HB 8 and HB 68 are now headed to the Senate but are not law. There is still plenty of fight left and we can still stop these bills from becoming Ohio law.” 🔥
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