Two hearings held for ‘Natural Family Month’ bill to celebrate only Ohio’s heterosexual two-parent families

Ohio legislators recently held two hearings for a Republican bill to designate a month solely to honor only families helmed by a cisgender heterosexual couple in a lifelong, monogamous relationship. 

House Bill (HB) 262 would designate “Natural Family Month,” for the period of time from Mother’s Day, which is the second Sunday in May, to Father’s Day, the third Sunday in June.

The first hearing

In the bill’s first hearing in the Community Revitalization Committee on June 3, the bill sponsors made it explicitly clear that their bill was specifically designed to celebrate heterosexuals even though the actual language of the bill doesn’t define “natural families.” 

“The natural family – a man and a woman united in marriage, raising their biological and/or adopted children – is the foundational institution in our free society,” said Rep. Beth Lear (R-Galena) “For generations, this family structure has provided stability, nurtured moral and civic virtues and ensured the overall health and prosperity of our communities.”

The bill sponsors repeatedly defended their use of the word “natural.” 

“We intentionally didn’t put a definition of ‘natural family’ in the bill because we didn’t want to try to exclude anyone or demonize anyone,” said Rep. Josh Williams (R-Sylvania Twp.). “We’re trying to promote a man and a woman getting together, engaging in a monogamous relationship, producing offspring and raising them together.”

“The reason I chose ‘natural’ is [because it is] historic, scientific and it’s based in religious faith,” said Lear. 

Rep. Karen Brownlee (D-Symmes Twp.) asked if the bill’s sponsors would be open to changing the name of the bill to “All Families Month.”

“No, ma’am. We would not,” Lear immediately responded. 

The bill sponsors also acknowledged and dismissed pushback from individuals representing other family make-ups – including LGBTQ+ families – at the implication that their families were “unnatural.”

“We want to promote what is healthiest for the kids,” Lear said. “It’s about preserving the system that is best for children. It’s about recognizing what works.”

Williams tried to create an equivalency. 

“Any time we attempt to celebrate a particular group, we typically don’t see those individuals that are not included in that group claiming victimhood status and screaming that we’re excluding them,” Williams said. “We’re seeing that a little with this bill.. We’re sitting here right now in Pride Month. That doesn’t exclude individuals that are not LGBTQ.”

However, Pride Month is not recognized by the State of Ohio, despite five bills being introduced over the past 10 years. None of those attempts made it past a first hearing. 

Second hearing

On June 10, a second hearing was held featuring opponent testimony, those standing in opposition to the bill. 

Dwayne Steward, executive director of Equality Ohio, reminded the committee that only a few generations ago, interracial couples were declared “unnatural.”

“The idea that the state of Ohio should declare which families are ‘natural’ — and by implication, which are not — is deeply offensive to the millions of Ohioans raised by single parents, grandparents, adoptive families or same-sex couples,” he said. 

Steward also testified that HB 262 is a slippery slope that gives LGBTQ+ families “second class” status. 

“First they call your family ‘unnatural.’ Next they’ll say you can’t adopt, foster or teach,” he said. “Ohio House Bill 262 is more than just bad policy—it is a calculated act of strategic erasure.”

Danielle Firsich, director of public policy for Planned Parenthood Advocates of Ohio and Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio, dismissed the bill as “not a serious piece of legislation.”

“This is a useless proclamation of ill-advised and exclusionary priorities rather than the sweeping policy changes necessary to support the foundation of healthy, thriving families in our state,” said Firsich.

Committee Chair Gary Click (R-Vickery) repeatedly asked witnesses what was wrong with celebrating fathers and mothers. 

Lis Regula, advocacy associate at Men Having Babies – a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping LGBTQ+ individual build families  – responded by highlighting that HB 262 could become “another stone to sling at children who may not fit the definition of this bill,” particularly at a time when LGBTQ+ Ohioans are being stigmatized by other legislation..

“This kind of performative uplifting of a group that already has so much privilege within our community is the opposite of what I see as forwarding a better community for our children, for their children and for generations to come,” Regula said. 

Perhaps the most moving testimony came from the teenage daughters of Columbus residents Rick Neal and Tom Grote. 

“We were adopted by a loving, committed same-sex couple,” said Amoret, 16. “My family might not fit the narrow definition of “natural” that this bill seems to favor, but our family is built on love, support and stability: values any family should have.”

“This bill sends a harmful message to a family like ours: that we are somehow less valuable, less worthy or unnatural,” said Sophia, 13. “That is not just offensive, that’s wrong.” 🔥

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IGNITE ACTION

• The roster for the Community Revitalization Committee can be found here.
• 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.