Do you know your HB 6 from 8 from 68? Here’s your 2024 guide to Ohio’s LGBTQ+ legislation.

Sponsor: Rep. Jena Powell (R-Arcanum)

What would this bill do?: The bill would ban transgender girls and women from competing in sports from kindergarten through college. Unlike past iterations of this bill, there is no indication in HB 6 as to how the sex of students is determined. Last year’s House Bill triggered national outcry with the requirement of genital checks. It is also significant that this year’s bill includes institutions of higher education — and specifically “private colleges” — and was heard in the Higher Education committee. Previous versions limited the applicability of this athletic ban to K-12 education. 

Read the text of the bill here.

Status of the bill:
– The Higher Education committee passed HB 6 out of committee on May 10. It would have headed to the House for full consideration, but the language was folded into HB 68 (below) to create an expansive anti-trans omnibus bill, which passed the House on June 21.
– HB 68 then passed the Senate on December 13.
– On December 29, Governor DeWine vetoed the bill.
– On January 10, the House voted to override Governor DeWine’s veto. The Senate voted to override on January 24.
– HB 68 was set to become law in late April, but a Franklin County Court of Common Pleas has issued a temporary restraining order on its implementation.
– Following a 5-day trial in July, Judge Michael Holbrook deemed HB 68 to be legal on August 7 and lifted his restraining order. The ban on trans female athletes gender-affirming care on minors can be enforced immediately. The ACLU of Ohio has filed an appeal.

Sponsors: Reps. D.J. Swearingen (R-Huron) and Sara Carruthers (R-Hamilton)

What would this bill do?: If passed, the bill would force all teachers and school staff — including social workers and school counselors — to out LGBTQ+ students to their parents. According to the bill’s language, schools must “notify a student’s parent of any change in the student’s services or monitoring related to the student’s mental, emotional or physical health or well-being.” The bill was amended in April to add “counseling services,” now requiring parental notification of anything a student shares during confidential counseling sessions.

The bill also requires parent notification regarding “sexually explicit content” materials in the curriculum with only a vague definition of “sexually explicit.” In June, the bill was further amended to substitute the word “sexuality” in place of “sexually explicit.” With this change, the language now explicitly covers LGBTQ+ identity, meaning parental notification must take place with any representation of LGBTQ+ identity. This could include depictions of same-sex parents in children’s books, a student’s show-and-tell of a napkin from their sibling’s same-sex wedding or the screening of a new Disney movie. LGBTQ+ advocates call this the “Unsafe Students Act” and a “Don’t Say Gay/Trans.”

Read the text of the bill here.

Status of the bill:
– HB 8 had five hearings in the Primary and Secondary Education committee and passed out of committee on June 13.
– The bill passed the House on June 21 by a vote of 65-29, with one Republican voting against the bill: Rep. Jamie Callendar (R-Concord).
– It was assigned to the Senate Education committee on September 13.
– HB 8 has had six hearings in the Senate Education committee. At a session on December 10, the bill was amended to include a requirement that schools develop a policy for release time for religious instruction.
– HB 8 was passed by the Senate on December 18 and passed by the House hours later. It now heads to Gov. Mike DeWine for his signature.

Sponsor: Rep. Gary Click (R-Vickery)

What would this bill do?: If passed, the bill would ban gender-affirming care in the state of Ohio: prohibiting physicians from prescribing cross-sex hormones or puberty blockers, and from performing any type of gender-affirming surgery on minors. Additionally, the bill would outlaw conduct that “aids and abets,” prohibiting healthcare providers from helping their minor patients receive gender-affirming care in other states. The bill also mandates that mental health professionals report annually information regarding minors they have treated for gender-related conditions and prohibits Medicaid from covering gender transition services. 

Read the text of the bill here.

Status of the bill:
– At the fourth hearing for HB 68 on June 14, the bill was amended to include all of the language of HB 6, the Save Women’s Sports Act, despite this being a completely unrelated bill. The amended bill then passed out of committee.
– On June 21, the bill passed the House by a vote of 64-28, with two Republican voting against the bill: Rep. Brett Hillyer (R-Uhrichsville) and Rep. Jamie Callendar (R-Concord).
– The bill was assigned to the Senate Government Oversight Committee on September 13. A sponsor hearing was held on November 15 and a proponent hearing on November 28, when a slew of out-of-state witnesses were marched through the hearing.
– HB 68 passed the Senate on December 13.
– On December 29, Governor DeWine vetoed the bill.
– On January 10, the House voted to override Governor DeWine’s veto. The Senate voted to override on January 24.
– HB 68 was set to become law in late April, but a Franklin County Court of Common Pleas has issued a temporary restraining order on its implementation.
– Following a 5-day trial in July, Judge Michael Holbrook deemed HB 68 to be legal on August 7 and lifted his restraining order. The ban on trans female athletes gender-affirming care on minors can be enforced immediately. The ACLU of Ohio has filed an appeal.

Sponsor: Rep. Gary Click (R-Vickery)

What would this bill do?: This bill would designate the twelfth day of March as ‘Detrans Awareness Day.’ The concept of detransitioning –defined as stopping or reversing gender transition, which can include medical treatment or changes in appearance, or both – sits at the core of Click’s arguments in favor of HB 68 (above). At a February press conference introducing the bill, Click argued that 85% to 95% of trans youth will outgrow those feelings. Recent research puts those numbers at closer to 2.5%. HB 68 would directly and forcibly detransition youth in Ohio. Under the bill, youth already taking hormones would not be grandfathered into the bill; they would be given 180 days to stop taking hormones completely, after which their prescriptions would be outlawed. 

Read the text of the bill here.

Status of the bill:
– HB 113 was referred to the State and Local Government committee in March 2023. There has not yet been a hearing for this bill.

Sponsors: Representatives Beth Lear (R-Galena) and Adam Bird (R-New Richmond)

What would this bill do?: The bill would require that all restrooms and locker rooms in Ohio’s schools and colleges be designated for use by individuals who are one “biological sex.” This would eliminate multi-stall inclusive restrooms, like the one at Cleveland State University. The bill would also restrict schools from granting a trans student access to a bathroom that doesn’t correspond with the gender assigned to them at birth, eliminating accommodations for trans students that school staff have arranged across the state. Finally, the bill would prohibit “a member of the female biological sex to share overnight accommodation with a member of the male biological sex” and vice versa, seemingly in an attempt to address the sleeping arrangement of trans students during overnight field trips or athletic competitions. 

Read the text of the bill here.

Status of the bill:
– This bill was introduced on May 23 and was assigned to the Higher Education committee on June 7, an intriguing choice given that the bulk of the bill applies to K-12 education.
– The bill passed out of the Higher Education Committee on April 10.
– During the late night hours of June 26, Ohio House Republicans attached HB 183 to an unrelated bill on the College Credit Plus Program (SB 104) that had already passed the Senate. This amended bill then passed the full House and was passed by the full Senate (bypassing Senate committees) on November 13.
– Gov. Mike DeWine signed this bill into law on November 27. It will go into effect on February 25 (90 days).

Sponsor: Rep. Mary Lightbody (D-Westerville)

What would this bill do?: HB 220 would ban all health care professionals in the state of Ohio from practicing conversion therapy on youth who are under 18 years of age. Conversion therapy is here defined as “seeking to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity, including efforts to change behaviors or gender expressions or to reduce or eliminate sexual or romantic attractions or feelings toward a person of the same gender.” Currently, conversion therapy is legal statewide, but banned in 11 Ohio municipalities covering 25% of Ohio’s population.

Read the text of the bill here.

Status of the bill:
– This bill was introduced on June 21 and was assigned to the Public Health Policy committee on June 26. There has not yet been a hearing for this bill.
– Rep. Lightbody resigned from the Ohio House in January and it is unclear what now happens with this bill.

Sponsors: Reps. Tavia Galonski (D-Akron) and Juanita O. Brent (D-Cleveland)

What would this bill do?: HB 225 would permanently recognize June as Pride Month in Ohio. This is the fifth year in a row that a version of this bill has been introduced in the Ohio legislature.

Read the text of the bill here.

Status of the bill:
– Introduced on June 26, this bill was assigned to the House State and Local Government committee on September 12. There has not yet been a hearing for this bill.
– Rep. Galonski resigned from the Ohio House in January.
– This bill had its first and only hearing on December 10.

Sponsor: Rep. Reggie Stoltzfus (R-Paris Township)

What would this bill do?: HB 240 would allow public schools to “employ or accept as a volunteer a chaplain to provide support, services and programs for students.” Unlike other public school personnel who must be licensed by the state, the bill specifically outlines that these chaplains shall “not be required to apply for a license or certification with the state board of education.” LGBTQ+ advocates have questioned the background of these chaplains, the supervision they will receive and the methodology they will employ in working with students. Additionally, it is unclear whether the chaplains will be subjected to the same parental notification procedures outlined in HB 8. Earlier this year, the Texas legislature passed a similar bill which allows school districts to employ a chaplain instead of a school counselor to perform school counseling duties. 

Read the text of the bill here.

Status of the bill:
– Introduced on July 11, this bill was assigned to the House Primary and Secondary Education Committee on September 12. There has not yet been a hearing for this bill.

Sponsors: Reps. Angela King (R-Celina) and Josh Williams (R-Oregon)

What would this bill do?: If passed, this bill would ban drag performances in locations other than “adult cabaret.” The bill specifically calls out drag performers by referencing “performers or entertainers who exhibit a gender identity that is different from the performer’s or entertainer’s gender assigned at birth using clothing, makeup, prosthetic or imitation genitals or breasts, or other physical markers.” Individuals could face felony charges depending if a juvenile is in attendance or the performance is considered ‘obscene,’ a subjective determination. This bill has 41 Republican co-sponsors.

Read the text of the bill here.

Status of the bill:
– Introduced on July 17, this bill was assigned to the House Criminal Justice committee on September 12.
– On November 14, Reps. King and Williams presented sponsor testimony.
– On June 5, proponent testimony was held.

Sponsors: Reps. Jessica Miranda (D-Forest Park) & Tavia Galonski (D-Akron)

What would this bill do?: HB 332 would eliminate the language in Ohio’s Revised Code that prohibits marriage between individuals of the same sex, putting Ohio in line with federal law. The bill would also prevent the state from establishing any prohibitions of marriage between individuals of different races.

Read the text of the bill here.

Status of the bill:
– The bill was introduced on November 16 and referred to the State and Local Government Committee on November 28. There has not yet been a hearing for HB 332. Both Miranda and Galonski have resigned from the House.

Sponsors: Reps. Michelle Grim (D-Toledo) and Beryl Brown Piccolantonio (D-Gahanna)

What would this bill do?: If passed, HB 467 would grant an exemption to an obscure Ohio law requiring candidates to formally disclose any changes of name in the past five years. The exemption would cover any legal name changes. “This little-known law puts trans and other candidates who change their name at a disadvantage,” said Grim. “The law is unequally applied to these Ohioans who just want to make a difference for their communities.”

Read the text of the bill here.

Status of the bill:
– Introduced on March 27, 2024, this bill was referred to the Government Oversight Committee on April 2. Sponsor testimony was held on April 9 and a second hearing with proponent testimony was held on May 14.
– Proponent testimony was held on May 21.

Sponsors: Reps. Angie King (R-Celina) and Rodney Creech (R-West Alexandria)

What would this bill do?: Whereas current law only allows for voters to protest a candidacy for an individual of their same registered political party, the Republicans’ proposed bill would allow any Ohioan to protest any candidate. In the Republicans’ list of reasons under which eligible voters can protest an individual’s candidacy: “The individual does not include their former name on required documentation to run for office.” Both King and Creech are currently running against trans candidates.

Read the text of the bill here.

Status of the bill:
– Introduced on April 8, 2024, this bill was referred to the Government Oversight Committee on April 23. Sponsor testimony was held on May 7.
– Opponent testimony was held on May 21.

Sponsors: Rep. Sara Carruthers (R-Hamilton)

What would this bill do?: This bill would repeal the following language in the Ohio Revised Code that currently charges individuals with a fourth degree felony if a person living with HIV sells or donate’s their blood or blood plasma knowing that it is being accepted for possible transfusion to another individual.

Read the text of the bill here.

Status of the bill:
– Introduced on April 22, 2024, this bill was referred to the Criminal Justice Committee on April 24.
– A first hearing for this bill was held on November 19.

Sponsors: Rep. Sara Carruthers (R-Hamilton)

What would this bill do?: This bill would reform or repeal several state laws currently criminalizing living with HIV, including repealing the law that imposes a felony charge on who engage in sexual conduct before disclosing their HIV status and repealing the mandatory testing requirements for people accused of committing felonious assault and causing someone to come into contact with bodily fluids. Several felony enhancements for people living with HIV would be eliminated by the bill including for people engaging in sex work after an HIV diagnosis. The bill would also provide an expungement process for those who had previously been convicted of HIV-specific felonious assault and process by which individuals can be removed from the sex offender registry due to an HIV-specific felonious assault conviction. Overall, the bill would remove stigmatizing and inaccurate language from several laws and would provide protections against non-consensual HIV testing and HIV information disclosure.

Read the text of the bill here.

Status of the bill:
– Introduced on April 30, 2024, this bill was referred to the Criminal Justice Committee on May 7.
– A first hearing for this bill was held on November 19.

Sponsor: Reps. Jodi Whitted (D-Madeira) and Anita Somani (D-Dublin)

What would this bill do?: Due to the retirement of Rep. Jessica Miranda, HB 636 reintroduces HB 332 (above). Identical to HB 332, this bill would eliminate the language in Ohio’s Revised Code that prohibits marriage between individuals of the same sex, putting Ohio in line with federal law. The bill would also prevent the state from establishing any prohibitions of marriage between individuals of different races.

Read the text of the bill here.

Status of the bill:
– Introduced in the House on June 27, this bill was assigned to the Civil Justice committee on November 11.
– This bill had its first and only hearing on December 17.

Sponsor: Rep. Mike Skindell (D-Lakewood)

What would this bill do?: The Ohio Fairness Act would prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity or expression in the areas of housing, employment and public accommodations. This is the 11th time the Ohio Fairness Act has been introduced in the Ohio legislature.

Read the text of the bill here.

Status of the bill:
– Introduced in the House on May 15, this bill was assigned to the Civil Justice committee on May 21.
– This bill had its first and only hearing on December 17.

Sponsor: Rep. Gail Pavliga (R-Portage County)

What would this bill do?: This bill would prevent public colleges from using any application for employment or student admission that that asks for, or contains a field in which an applicant may indicate, the applicant’s preferred gender pronouns.

Read the text of the bill here.

Status of the bill:
– Introduced in the House on November 7, this bill was assigned to the Higher Education committee on November 11.
– A first hearing for HB 686 was held on November 20.

Sponsor: Sen. Nickie Antonio (D-Lakewood)

What would this bill do?: The Ohio Fairness Act would prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity or expression in the areas of housing, employment and public accommodations. This is the 11th time the Ohio Fairness Act has been introduced in the Ohio legislature.

Read the text of the bill here.

Status of the bill:
– Introduced in the Senate on June 29, this bill was assigned to the Senate Government Oversight committee on September 13.
– A first hearing for SB 132 was held on November 13.