Transgender people under age 18 in Ohio will no longer have access to the medical care they need, and trans females are effectively banned from participating in school sports.
As expected, the Ohio Senate voted to override Gov. Mike DeWine’s veto of Ohio House Bill (HB) 68 Wednesday, completing the legislature’s process to ban healthcare for transgender people under the age of 18 and preventing trans females from competing in sports from kindergarten through college.
DeWine announced the veto of HB 68 during a press conference in December, where he instead proposed a set of new administrative rules restricting access to healthcare for all transgender Ohioans.
At the time, DeWine expressed the belief that his administrative actions went further than HB 68, negating the need for the veto override. The Ohio legislature disagreed.
The House voted 65-28 to override on January 10. The Senate followed up on Wednesday, voting 24-8 to override, with 24 of 25 Republicans voting in the affirmative. Sen. Nathan Manning (R-North Ridgeville) broke with his party to vote against the veto override.
With this vote, Ohio became the 24th state to ban gender-affirming care and the 25th state to ban trans athletes.
Pitched battle along party lines
The Senate session began with Sen. Bill DeMora (D-Columbus) motioning to adjourn before the veto override could be considered. That motion failed.
With trans equality protesters repeatedly interrupting the proceedings, Republican senators spoke to assert anti-trans rhetoric while their Democrat colleagues stood to argue for the lived existence of Ohio’s trans youth.
Senator Kristina Roegner (R-Hudson) stood first to declare a series of anti-trans statements that have been proven false by science, chiefly asserting that there is no such thing as a gender spectrum and that individuals cannot alter their gender.
“Despite what the liberals say, gender is not assigned at birth but at the time of conception,” Roegner said. “There is no such thing as gender-affirming care.”
Sen. Paula Hicks-Hudson (D-Toledo) said that she spoke with a trans constituent and asked her what they wanted Ohio senators to know.
“She said, ‘Just let me live. Let me be,’” Hicks-Hudson said. “What we’re doing today is not allowing that to happen for her.”
Sen. Jerry Cirino (R-Kirtland) pivoted the Senate chamber towards his version of Christianity.
“Jesus loves little children, including unborn children,” Cirino said. “That same Jesus has determined the gender of every child.”
Senator Kent Smith (D-Euclid) decried what he described as “state-sponsored bullying of trans youth.”
“[HB 68] is a systematic dehumanization of a population for political gain,” Smith said. “The majority wants to punch down rather than offer a helping hand.”
Sen. Nickie Antonio (D-Lakewood) addressed her colleagues who denied the existence of transgender Ohioans, reminding the body that she is a member of the LGBTQ+ community.
“I’m a lesbian and I don’t know what it’s like to live as a transgender person,” Antonio said. “But just because I don’t understand it doesn’t mean I should disconfirm their right to exist.”
Instant reactions
Following the vote, Antonio blasted the veto override.
“Politicians have no business banning evidence-based, life-saving medical care – especially when it is endorsed by every major medical and mental health association,” said Antonio.
Leaders from Equality Ohio said that the vote will have real world consequences for Ohioans, stripping access to medical care away from children and young people.
“Lawmakers have made it clear that they are more concerned with protecting their political aspirations than protecting children, protecting women, or tackling the numerous pressing issues Ohioans are actually facing,” said Siobhan Boyd-Nelson, co-interim executive director. “Ohio voters have made it unequivocally clear that the government is not welcome in our private medical decisions and not needed in our kids’ extracurricular activities.”
Leadership from the Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest LGBTQ+ advocacy organization, weighed in, called the veto override “a cowardly, self-serving vote.”
“These legislators have abdicated their responsibility to do what’s right for the Ohioans they represent, casting votes that they know full well will harm innocent children, all to appease the leader of the MAGA agenda,” said HRC President Kelley Robinson. “Despite the fact that they have no medical training, these politicians believe they know better than parents and transgender youth seeking health care. It’s shameful.”
GLAAD, the world’s largest LGBTQ media advocacy organization, likewise condemned the vote.
“Ohio’s extremist lawmakers inexplicably refused facts, expert testimony, and deeply personal pleas from families who understand how this bill will bring pain and harm,” said GLAAD’s CEO and president Sarah Kate Ellis. “No one should be treated like an outcast in their own state or be forced to leave to receive health care they count on.”
In a statement posted to X, formerly known as Twitter, HB 68 primary sponsor Rep. Gary Click (R-Vicker), who is also, a Baptist pastor, continued to deny the existence of transgender Ohioans. He called for resources for individuals “as they realign with their authentic selves.”
Click also wrote that “the citizens of Ohio were unequivocal in their demand for the legislature to act and we did.”
However, Click’s statement failed to note the overwhelming majority of testimony heard in the Ohio legislature was submitted against HB 68, and that many of the witnesses who testified in support of the anti-transgender bill were shipped in from out of state.
Uncertain future
It is still unknown how HB 68 becoming law will affect the governor’s new proposed rules limiting gender-affirming care for both youth and adults. Those rules will not take effect until they are approved by the Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review (JCARR) – a bipartisan committee that reviews rules from over 100 government agencies “to ensure they do not exceed the rule-making authority granted to them by the General Assembly.”
In addition to HB 68’s near total ban on healthcare for transgender youth, Gov. DeWine’s newly proposed rules will also:
- Restrict the ability of hospitals and clinics to diagnose gender dysphoria in transgender adults.
- Require healthcare providers to report all transgender patients’ “deidentified” medical information to the state of Ohio every 30 days, including any diagnosis of gender dysphoria and “any medical or surgical service (including physician services, inpatient and outpatient hospital services, or prescription drugs or hormones).”
- Require transgender adults to obtain a detailed care plan and medical consent from a psychiatrist, an endocrinologist and a bioethicist before the “prescription, initiation or provision of treatment for a gender-related conditions” can take place, including access to hormone replacement therapy (HRT).
- Require transgender adults under the age of 21 to “receive a comprehensive mental health evaluation” over the course of “not less than six months” in order to access gender-affirming healthcare.
If approved, Gov. DeWine’s proposed administrative rules would be the harshest and most restrictive in the United States for transgender adults seeking healthcare. 🔥
ignite action
- If you are a young person struggling, contact the Trevor Project: 866-4-U-Trevor.
- If you are an adult in need of immediate help, contact the National Trans Lifeline: 877-565-8860
- To apply for assistance and/or funds please visit TransOhio’s Emergency Funds Application Page.
- To contribute to the Emergency Fund and support trans youth in Ohio, please visit TransOhio’s Donation Page or contact transohio@transohio.org.
- To register to vote or to check your voter eligibility status in the state of Ohio, click here.
- To find contact information for your Ohio state representative, click here.
- To find contact information for your Ohio senator, click here.
This article was corrected on 1/25/24 to reflect the vote count of 24-9 and that Sen. Manning voted against the veto override.
Know an LGBTQ+ Ohio story we should cover? TELL US!
Submit a story!
Pingback: Toledo Humanists Condemn Override of HB 68 Veto – Secular Humanists of Western Lake Erie