Jeff Givan and his husband were the second gay couple to be married in rural Allen County, Ohio, back in 2015. Nearly 11 years later, Givan is running for the state House of Representatives in the county seat of Lima to defeat Republican Rep. Matt Huffman, Ohio’s current speaker of the House.
Givan said Lima is tired of Huffman dismantling the public school system. Givan also wants to protect marriage equality and ramp up funding for preventative healthcare services.
He would also use his position to help others understand that queer people are on the frontline fighting for everyone’s civil rights, he said.
“I don’t think a lot of people realize that what happens to us will happen to others – it’s the same way with people of color,” Givan said. “We got to get to a point where it’s not this big issue any longer. We’re just human beings.”
Background
Givan was born in Colorado and raised in Texas. He lived in California for much of his adult life working in sales and management roles, he said. Once his partner started battling cancer, Givan moved to his partner’s hometown of Lima in 2012. They married in 2015, and his husband died a year later.
Givan stayed in Lima and began to involve himself in the community, he said. After Trump was elected in 2016, Givan worked with LGBTQ+ congregants at his local Unitarian Universalist church to build a more visible queer community in Allen County.
“There was a real lack of LGBTQ+ community,” Givan recalled. “We’re one of those towns where kids graduate high school and leave, especially LGBTQ+ kids, because there’s nothing here for them.”
With the help of the Allen County’s Democratic Party, Givan and other volunteers hosted Lima’s first Pride event – a picnic – last July. Later, Givan co-founded the more formal Lima Pride Alliance.
Alongside his LGBTQ+ advocacy, Givan has also volunteered in his local community to help those seeking addiction recovery.
‘I’m really in it for the community’
After the U.S. enacted a coup in Venezuela by kidnapping the country’s president last January, Givan had enough. He called the chairperson of the county’s Democratic headquarters and asked if they had funds to support an LGBTQ+ candidate.
He was suggesting other LGBTQ+ leaders in Allen County, but Givan said they didn’t want to run.
“I’d never been in politics before, but somebody’s gotta do it,” he said.
Huffman introduced Ohio’s current state budget, Sub. HB 96, which led to a dramatic reduction in state funding for public schools. Huffman continues to champion private school vouchers and wants to expand the program’s eligibility requirements.
Huffman’s support for vouchers instead of funding public schools has soured Lima residents, Givan said.
“Our school districts have taken a serious hit,” he said. “Not only are they having the money taken away from them, but they’re having to provide services [to private schools] which is going to — especially in a lot of small towns — take away the bus service.”
Besides education, Givan wants to restore and increase funding for preventative healthcare programs that serve low-income Ohioans.
“I think there’s some things we need to change on how the system is set up on the lower end,” he said. “We’re going to be setting up a committee of all kinds of different healthcare [leaders] and really examine what needs to happen [for] potential policies.”
If elected, Givan said he would continue to advocate for the LGBTQ+ community and protect trans youth from harmful legislation. He’s had people come up to him and thank him for running because they have LGBTQ+ children who feel threatened.
“I had a very good friend who moved to Portugal to get away from [the U.S.],” Givan said. “They don’t feel safe, so we have to feel safe in our communities. That’s one of the reasons we started the Lima Pride Alliance — we got to feel safe.”
Progress so far
Givan submitted his petition to run for office right on deadline, so he said he’s just starting to spread the word about his campaign. He faces an uphill battle, as 70% of Allen County voters favored Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election, with over two-thirds of the area turning out for the election.
Givan thinks this midterm’s foreshadowed “blue wave” will carry him through, despite the numbers. He’s already made progress with his neighbor across the street who votes Republican, he said. His campaign convinced him to vote against Huffman in this year’s midterm election in November.
“We’ve got a fairly large block of independent voters here, although they tend to lean either red or blue,” Givan said. “People are kind of tired. It’s time for some new thoughts.” 🔥
Editor’s Note: This story was updated to correct Jeff Givan’s volunteer experience.
IGNITE ACTION
- To learn more about Lima Pride Alliance, click here for its Facebook page.
- To learn more about Jeff Givan’s candidacy, click here for his campaign’s website.
- 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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