The Ohio Senate Government Oversight Committee heard public testimony Wednesday from Baptist pastor and Ohio State Representative Gary Click (R-Vickery) in support of Ohio House Bill 68 — which would criminalize gender affirming healthcare for transgender Ohioans under 18 and ban transgender girls from competing in sports.
HB 68 would ban and criminalize access to gender affirming healthcare for transgender youth across the state, cutting off access to any care considered “gender affirming,” including talk therapy, vocal training, puberty blockers and hormone replacement therapy (HRT).
If lawmakers pass HB 68, the bill would allow cisgender youth to continue receiving gender affirming healthcare, including access to puberty blockers and hormone replacement therapy. Transgender youth, however, would have just 90 days to find new healthcare providers before clinics are required to stop providing access to gender affirming care.
Sen. George Lang (R-West Chester) asked Click about legal accountability and enforcement regarding the healthcare ban.
“What happens to a parent who refuses to comply?” Lang asked. “Is the parent or the physician responsible?”
“We had not contemplated that, to be honest with you,” Click said.
Sen. Kent Smith (D-Euclid) also questioned Click on the implications of restricting access to healthcare for LGBTQ+ youth, citing a 2023 report published by The Trevor Project — a national LGBTQ+ advocacy and research organization — that found the majority of transgender youth report struggles with mental health as a result of anti-transgender legislation.
“86% of trans non-binary youth say the recent debates about state laws, which includes your legislation before us, have a negative impact on their mental health,” Smith said.
“Do you see that a possible outcome of this legislation would be an increase in bullying of LGBTQ+ youth and trans youth and adults?” Smith asked Click. “Do you feel like this legislation would have a negative impact?”
In response, Click directly contradicted the general consensus of millions of doctors and healthcare providers, along with dozens of medical organizations across the world.
“[Gender affirming care] is not best medical practice,” Click told Smith. “I believe it is child abuse.”
Previous reporting by The Buckeye Flame found that the bills are based directly on model legislation drafted out-of-state by the Family Research Council (FRC), which the Southern Poverty Law Center classifies as an anti-LGBTQ+ hate group.
Click also has a direct documented relationship with the hate group, championing their efforts to disseminate anti-LGBTQ+ model legislation via his account on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
Click is the head pastor of Fremont Baptist Temple and received an undergraduate degree in Religious Education from the unaccredited Midwestern Baptist College. He is not a healthcare provider and does not list any professional credentials outside of religious ministry.
Unreliable sources
In his testimony, Click cited a piece of anti-transgender commentary written by Dr. Jay T. Allen, a retired family physician with ties to several anti-transgender groups.
Allen’s essay was submitted to The Maine Wire, a political publication owned and operated by conservative think tank The Maine Policy Institute. Labeled as “Opinion” on the publication’s website, Allen’s essay contains numerous medical inaccuracies.
On the social media website X, formerly known as Twitter, Allen used incorrect and medically inaccurate language to refer to transgender youth. He also shared inaccurate and misleading content produced by the anti-transgender fringe groups Genspect and the Society for Evidence-Based Gender Medicine (SEGM) — both anti-transgender fringe groups that reject the medical guidelines for gender affirming care endorsed by major healthcare organizations.
When pressed further on the nature of the source, Click told Smith that he did not know anything about the publication, and could not say whether or not Allen’s essay was based in fact or personal opinion.
Rejecting medical guidelines
Every major medical organization in the world supports and recommends access to gender affirming healthcare for transgender youth.
In June 2023, the American Medical Association (AMA) — which includes more than 270,000 doctors and healthcare providers — passed the resolution drafted by the American Endocrine Society in support of gender affirming healthcare for transgender youth.
In the resolution, AMA stated their direct opposition to criminal or legal penalties for transgender people seeking gender affirming care, as well as for healthcare professionals who may provide it.
A group of major American medical organizations also signed on to the resolution, representing hundreds of thousands of doctors and healthcare providers across the country, including:
- The American Academy of Pediatrics
- The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
- The American Urological Association
- The American Society for Reproductive Medicine
- The American College of Physicians
- The American Association of Clinical Endocrinology
More than 30 organizations have also issued specific statements regarding the necessity of gender affirming care for trans youth, including the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Medical Association. 🔥
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