Ohio’s ‘Natural Family Month’ proponents claim heterosexual couples are ‘under attack’

Ohio legislators held a third hearing on Tuesday 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 to Father’s Day.

The bill had a first hearing on June 3 and a second hearing on June 10 featuring opponent testimony, those standing in opposition to the bill. 

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

Tuesday’s hearing in the Community Revitalization Committee was proponent testimony: those speaking in support of the bill. 

The first proponent to testify was Linda Harvey, the head of Mission: America – a virulently antigay “ministry” – who prays for the end of times, because that would result in the end of Pride Month.

Harvey claimed that Mother’s Day is under attack. 

“In recent years, a number of companies, including Levi’s, DoorDash, Ancestry, Kay Jewelers, Etsy and Canva, sent emails to their customer base, offering the option to opt out of Mother’s Day marketing campaigns,” Harvey said. 

Reporting from The Atlantic and National Public Radio illustrate that companies are not attacking Mother’s Day, but instead offering the opt-out as a way to honor families who have lost their mother. 

Another proponent of “Natural Family Month,” Pastor Josue Santiago of the Family Faith Church in Newark, Ohio, testified there is currently an “assault on families” that reminds him of his upbringing in Cuba, where, “under communism, families were systematically broken.”

“Marriage is between a man and a woman, but I respect if someone disagrees with me,” Santiago said. “When you take away my ability to disagree, that is like [Communist Cuba].” He did not say who or what is taking away his ability to disagree, but did reference “the enemy,” who he clarified was the devil.

Ryan Folz, legislative liaison for the Center for Christian Virtue – classified as an anti-LGBTQ+ hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center  – said that recognizing Natural Family Month “positions Ohio as a leader in putting families first.”

“By passing this bill, you will send a powerful message that Ohio is a state that honors marriage, celebrates natural families and prioritizes children’s well-being,” Folz said. 

Eric Tober, lead pastor of The Ark Church in Dublin, Ohio, also testified that “voices in our culture have been sending subtle and direct attacks on the natural family.”

“We have witnessed a shift in the last 25 years where the culture makes fun of the natural family and alternative worldviews have broken up marriages and families,” Tober said. 

Rep. Meredith Lawson-Rowe (D-Reynoldsburg) asked Tober if her family would still be considered a “natural family” given that her father died when she was younger and her mother did not remarry. 

“Yes, you would be considered a natural family,” Tober answered. “The idea is still a husband and a wife.”

Throughout the hearing, Republican representatives like Chair Gary Click (R-Vickery) insisted that recognizing Natural Family Month did not denigrate other families, like LGBTQ+ families.

“I don’t think that’s the sponsor’s intent of this bill,” Click said. 

However, the last individual to testify – Gary Lankford, a pastor and marriage therapist – affirmed the implicit denigration that Democrat representatives had repeatedly tried to highlight. 

Lankford was asked if LGBTQ+ couples could be considered a “natural family.”

“It’s an unnatural family,” Lankford said. “It’s unnatural if you’re a Christian, a Jew or a Muslim. It’s unnatural if you’re an evolutionist and you believe in natural selection. Not bad, necessarily.” 🔥

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.