The day after Trans Day of Visibility, Ohio Republicans introduced two sentences that would legislatively erase trans identity in the Buckeye State.
Embedded within House Republicans’ 4,491-page proposed budget (Sub. HB 96) – introduced on April 1 – are the following two sentences:
“It is the policy of the state of Ohio to recognize two sexes, male and female. These sexes are not changeable and are grounded in fundamental and incontrovertible reality.”
The language is pulled word-for-word from an executive order signed by President Donald Trump on January 20, his first day in office.
The sentences were not mentioned in Ohio House Republicans’ press release on the budget, but were quickly endorsed by some Republican lawmakers.
“It’s really embarrassing that we have to say this. The only thing more embarrassing would be NOT saying it in days like these,” posted Rep. Gary Click (R-Vickery) on X.
Click’s comment accompanied a post praising the language from Aaron Baer, president of the Center For Christian Virtue, a politically conservative Christian lobbying organization that was designated as an anti-LGBTQ+ hate group by the civil rights group Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) between 2015-2017.
Book and flag banning
The budget also has proposed language on restricting youth access to books with LGBTQ+ content:
“A public library … shall place material related to sexual orientation or gender identity or expression in a portion of the public library that is not primarily open to the view of persons under the age of eighteen.”
Additionally, the budget would ban state money from going to youth shelters “that promote or affirm social gender transition, in which an individual goes from identifying with and living as a gender that corresponds to the individual’s biological sex to identifying with and living as a gender different from the individual’s biological sex.”
This restriction is proposed despite the repeatedly proven statistics that:
- Up to 40% of homeless youth identify as LGBTQ, while the general youth population is only 10% LGBTQ.
- 26% of homeless LGBTQ youth report being forced out of their homes solely because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
Finally, the budget proposes language dictating that state agencies may only fly the official Ohio state flag on the grounds or buildings, effectively banning the display of Pride flags.
Pride flags have increasingly become a hot topic in Ohio, with some school districts banning the flags and others attempting to do so.
Implications and reactions
As initial reaction to the proposed budget is focused on cuts to public school funding and the possible taxpayer financing of a new stadium for the Cleveland Browns, the implications of this language on gender are not immediately clear. Still, LGBTQ+ groups immediately condemned the language.
Dara Adkison, executive director of TransOhio, called the budget “a cruel insult that does nothing to address the needs of Ohioans while continuing our legislature’s obsession with attacking trans people.”
“The last thing our state needs is harsher restrictions on homeless youth’s ability to access support services and the public’s ability to access library materials,” said Adksion. “Then on top of that, we are being forced to discuss definitions of sex based on zero reality that are preposterously placed into the budget.”
Adkison said it is painful to see government officials “so brazenly disdainful for the people they ought to represent,” but that the language does provide an opportunity.
“The only consolation to this regressive, harmful budget is knowing that every time they say the quiet part out loud, it gives our community another opportunity to come together in care and support of each other,” Adkison said.
Dwayne Steward, executive director of Equality Ohio, accused lawmakers of manufacturing a “culture war issue,” with LGBTQ+ communities as the target.
“This is the most reckless bill to come out of the Ohio legislature,” Steward said. “By restricting access to LGBTQ+ materials in public libraries, criminalizing support for transgender youth, and defining gender in narrow, exclusionary terms, lawmakers are using Sub HB 96 to push the dangerous agenda of erasure and control. These policies threaten free access to information, the mental health of houseless and vulnerable youth, and even the ability of trans people to access medical care and social support.”
Steward condemned that prospect that public funds would be weaponized to dismantle LGBTQ+ rights and called the proposed language “censorship.” He too urged individuals to come together to stand in opposition to the bill.
“As Bayard Rustin taught us, we must always organize, educate, and resist injustice wherever it appears,” Steward said. “And we must resist—together, for a future where every young person can see themselves and their families reflected in their libraries, their schools, and their communities.”
Budgetary language
It is not uncommon for lawmakers to insert non-budgetary language into the budget. In 2021, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine used the proposed budget to attempt to change the state’s language on adoption to be more inclusive.
Embedded on page 606 of that 2057-page document, under the section, “The following persons may adopt,” the words “husband and wife” were replaced with “legally married couple.”
When the budget was introduced in the House, Republicans had changed the language back to “husband and wife.” Attempts by Democratic lawmakers to amend the language to the proposed “legally married couple” were rejected by Republicans, and the budget passed without the more inclusive language.
The proposed 2025 budget will now head to the full House for debate. 🔥
IGNITE ACTION
- The Buckeye Flame’s Ohio LGBTQ+ legislation guide for 2025 can be found here.
- If you are a young LGBTQ+ person in crisis, please contact the Trevor Project: 866-4-U-Trevor.
- If you are an transgender adult in need of immediate help, contact the National Trans Lifeline: 877-565-8860
- 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 state senator, click here.
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