Ohio Senate Democrats have introduced 423 amendments to Ohio’s two-year budget (Sub. HB 96) passed by the Ohio House in April. Four of those amendments are aimed at removing anti-LGBTQ+ “culture war” language inserted into the budget by Ohio Republicans.
Democrats have called these items “a cruel distraction from the reverse Robin Hood policies at the heart of the budget.”
“Sadly the Republican majority has presented to the people of Ohio one more opportunity in the budget to continue the culture wars,” Senate Democratic Leader Nickie Antonio (D-Lakewood) said at a press conference on Tuesday.
The language Democrats are looking to eliminate includes:
- A policy that cribs from President Donald Trump’s executive order “to recognize two sexes, male and female.” According to the budget language, “ These sexes are not changeable and are grounded in fundamental and incontrovertible reality.”
- Banning the use of Medicaid for mental health services that “promote or affirm gender transition.”
- Withholding state money from youth shelters that support transgender youth.
- Requiring libraries to place material related to sexual orientation or gender identity or expression out of the view of persons under the age 18.
Regarding the restriction on library books – the scope and application of which the budget does not define – Sen. Paula Hicks-Hudson (D-Toledo) said this “censorship” constitutes an “unfunded mandate.”
“[We must] remove the House-added censorship provisions that ask our libraries to do more with less,” Sen. Hicks-Hudson said at the Tuesday press conference.
Additional anti-LGBTQ+ language in the budget, but not addressed by Democrats, includes:
- Banning menstrual products from the men’s restrooms of public buildings.
- Mandating that state agencies may only fly the official Ohio state flag on the grounds or buildings, effectively banning the display of Pride flags.
‘Inappropriate provisions’
Sen. Antonio told The Buckeye Flame that she ran into Sen. Jerry Cirino, the chair of the Ohio Senate Finance Committee, in the hallway of the Statehouse. She said she highlighted the anti-LGBTQ+ items in the 5,048-page budget. She then sent him a memo, which Sen. Antonio’s office provided to The Buckeye Flame.
“As we have discussed, there are several provisions in House Bill 96 that contain miscellaneous ‘culture war;’ type of language unbefitting of a state operating budget,” Sen. Antonio wrote in the memo.
She highlighted that these were “seemingly ideological items” that were added to the House budget “at the last minute” and did not receive “proper vetting.”
“I would respectfully ask for you to support our amendments to remove these items that were not included in the Governor’s proposed budget,” Sen. Antonio wrote.
The Buckeye Flame reached out to Sen. Cirino’s office for comment, and this piece will be updated if a response is received.
Various parts of the budget are currently being heard across state Senate committees. Last week, the Senate Government Oversight and Reform Committee rejected testimony submitted by representatives of Equality Ohio and TransOhio from being heard during that committee’s budget hearings.
The senior legislative aide for Sen. Susan Manchester (R-Waynesfield), chair of that committee, said the testimony on the anti-LGBTQ+ items did not “pertain to the matters before the committee and therefore cannot be accepted for public testimony.”
The House and Senate must agree on the language for the two-year budget and present it to Gov. Mike DeWine for his signature by the end of June. 🔥
IGNITE ACTION
- The Buckeye Flame’s Ohio LGBTQ+ legislation guide for 2025 can be found here.
- 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.
- 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
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