This article was created in partnership with The Ohio Capital Journal, who produced the companion piece: Want to tell legislators how you feel about policy? Here’s one way to do it.
Kim Burroughs was not planning on testifying in front of the Ohio House Judiciary Committee on March 18.
She had a full week of depositions and legal work as an attorney at a Columbus-based law firm, and a nursery to assemble as she and her wife were soon expecting a baby.
But when Burroughs received a call from an Equality Ohio staff member asking her to submit testimony opposing HB 249, “The Enact the Indecent Exposure Modernization Act,” she knew she had to testify for her first time at the Ohio Statehouse.
The bill would ban drag and gender performances outside of “adult cabaret” venues or in any public venue where a minor may be present .
“I wrote my testimony and we finished it at about 2 a.m. the morning it was due,” said Burroughs, a board member of The Buckeye Flame.
Although 108 Ohioans submitted written testimony, the Republican-dominated committee only allowed 16 to testify in person, imposing a three-hour limit for the hearing.
More than half of those 16 were Ohioans testifying in the Columbus Statehouse for the first time: taking a day off work and wages to speak out against a bill that they said targets not only drag performers, but also transgender Ohioans.
What they encountered instead was state Rep. Josh Williams, a member of the Judiciary Committee and co-sponsor of HB 249. Williams, a Republican, has now introduced over 100 bills in this General Assembly as he runs for a spot in the U.S. House of Representatives. Five of those bills are explicitly anti-LGBTQ+, complementing his public statements that it would be “harmful to society” to affirm trans identity.
Throughout the three-hour hearing, Williams repeatedly claimed drag performances and performers are a danger to children, disparaged people’s employment and acted generally disdainful towards those who did not share his anti-trans views.
Former Ohio State Representative Jodi Whitted (D-Madeira) called Williams’ questioning “truly shameful behavior that is consistent with bullying.”
“His behavior toward witnesses, residents of our great state of Ohio, was juvenile and condescending, refusing to acknowledge the expertise and experiences of others,” said Whitted, who was the only out LGBTQ+ House lawmaker when she served. “He instead presented as a monomaniac regarding constitutional knowledge.”
Republicans passed HB 249 out of the Judiciary Committee on March 25 and passed the full House later the same day largely along party lines, with Rep. Jamie Callender (R-Concord) the only Republican voting against the bill.
As the bill now heads to the Ohio Senate for consideration – it was assigned to the Senate Judiciary committee on April 15 – Ohioans will likely again have an opportunity to submit testimony.
But given the hostility that so many Ohioans witnessed during the March 18 hearing, is it worth it to testify? How does exercising your right to participate in the legislative process stack up to possible condescension and derision from the very lawmakers who represent you?
To find out, the Buckeye Flame spoke with three of the LGBTQ+ Ohioans who testified for the first time.
‘90 percent wrong’
Burroughs was the second person to testify on March 18, immediately following Andrew Levitt, better known as drag superstar Nina West, appearing that day out of drag.
Although Levitt was certainly asked pointed questions, Rep. Williams pressed Burroughs more aggressively. Burroughs’ plan was to talk to committee members lawyer-to-lawyer, underscoring a hopefully shared belief that the law needs to be consistent and have integrity, highlighting the problematic parts of HB 249 that would lead to unequal and enforceable application.
“I wanted to appeal to the inner law student of everybody on the committee,” Burroughs said. “At some point, we all are in love with the law and really believe in its noble purpose.”
Williams immediately went in on her, questioning her interpretation of the law and flatly telling her that she was wrong.
“90% of [your response] was wrong,” Williams said to her. “You articulated that entirely wrong.”
The Buckeye Flame reached out multiple times to Williams for comment on this piece but did not receive a response.
Given her legal background – Burroughs formerly prosecuted felonies at the Delaware County Prosecutor’s Office and represented indigent criminal defendants at the Ohio Public Defender’s Office – she had experienced “direct and some might feel disrespectful language” from other attorneys enough not to be surprised by it.
Still, she felt that Williams should have been more professional, especially given that this was a public hearing in full view of concerned Ohioans.
“That tells me that we weren’t really having a conversation,” Burroughs said. “We were putting on a performance. And I, as a private citizen, don’t wanna be a pawn in that theater.”
Burroughs also wanted Williams to know that she was not wrong on 90% of what she said, and sent a follow-up letter to committee members outlining how HB 249 comes into conflict with the First Amendment and other legal issues she raised during the hearing.
She was shocked that the bill immediately passed out of the committee without modifications, given the “obviously unconstitutional” legal issues that were raised, including the vagueness of the bill’s language and how that impedes due process as the law prohibits prosecution if criminal statutes are too vague or standardless.
Having now experienced Williams first-hand, she could see how individuals would be discouraged from testifying in the future. (“Not everyone would want to volunteer to stand up there and be treated like that.”) But she said she would rather the abuse be directed at her than the true targets of the bill: transgender Ohioans and drag performers.
And if she is asked to testify before the Senate?
“I would never not show up for our LGBTQ+ community,” Burroughs said. “The least I can do is show up when called.
‘I was ready to give him the smoke.’
Anisa Love was supposed to testify directly after Burroughs, but some last-minute rearranging meant that the 37-year-old drag entertainer had to wait longer to speak. She sat in the gallery in drag – including her Miss Gay Ohio 2026 sash – and became increasingly frustrated as she watched how her drag sister Levitt was treated by Rep. Williams, with the representative aggressively trying to corner Levitt, a citizen with no legal background, about particulars of the bill.
“Why do you think drag performers should be able to engage in simulated masturbation in the presence of a minor?” Williams questioned Levitt, despite Levitt saying no such thing in his testimony.
“I was not prepared for how combative representative Williams was about to be,” said Love.
When she watched Williams “brow-beat the shit out of [Burroughs]” that frustration turned to anger.
“I was like, if they try this with me, I’m afraid that the other part of me is gonna come out,” Love laughed.
The anger became laced with nervous energy as Williams treated Equality Ohio Statewide Advocacy Manager Josh Meeks with the same disrespect during his testimony as Levitt and Burroughs, with Williams accusing Meeks of misrepresenting the bill and that Williams “wouldn’t expect anything less” than misrepresentation, presumably disparaging Equality Ohio.
“I was just focused on making sure that I got what I prepared across without getting emotional,” Love said.
But as soon as she got up to testify, Williams left the room.
“It was not lost on me that [Williams’ leaving was timed] when I was the only Black person and first person in drag standing up there to testify,” Love said. “Maybe he just didn’t want the smoke ’cause I was ready to give him the smoke.”
Love did what she set out to do: calmly, passionately deliver testimony, all with her goal in mind of “leading with love, and showing that there is heart behind every member of the LGBTQ+ community.”
“You may see me as some big old drag queen, but at the end of the day, I’m somebody’s husband, I’m somebody’s son, and I am just like you,” Love said.
As for Williams, Love does not hold back in her assessment.
“He was garbage,” Love said. “He wasn’t the only one, but he was definitely the aggressor. And we were repeatedly told to be quiet in the gallery and to be respectful, while Williams had carte balance to be an ass. And that’s what he was.”
The Buckeye Flame reached out multiple times to Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Thomas (R-Smithville) for comment specifically on rules of decorum in his committee and how Williams’ behavior fit into those rules, but received no response.
Senate Minority Leader Nickie Antonio (D-Lakewood) said that legislators should always speak to those who are testifying with respect, dignity and professionalism, regardless of their personal opinions.
“It is often quite an undertaking for any Ohioan to take time out of their busy schedules to come testify at the Statehouse,” said Antonio, the only out LGBTQ+ state senator in Ohio. “All Ohioans who do so, including–and I would say especially–our LGBTQ+ community members, who come to give public statements in an environment that has been clouded with bigotry and intolerance, they absolutely deserve the courtesy and respect that our rules of decorum demand.”
Antonio said that she was “disgusted and very sad” to hear that Ohioans were treated with anything but courtesy.
Despite the hostility in the room, Love is willing to testify again.
“We need people that are not afraid to stand up because all of our rights could be yanked away at the drop of a hat because that’s what they’re trying to do,” she said. “We have to be active in protecting our own joy.”
An Obligation to Testify
Oliver White waited nearly three hours to testify, and it almost didn’t happen. The 31-year-old trans male was the last to testify before Chair Thomas ended the hearing. White was only able to deliver testimony because someone else gave up her position when she heard White drove all the way from Dayton to Columbus to be there.
Oliver has never considered himself a political person, but then he saw the effects of Ohio policy on trans people like himself and was motivated to submit testimony.
“I’ve certainly been kicked out of little stores, at like flea markets and stuff,” White said. “When that starts to happen, I want to know more and understand the legal side of these bills, rather than the political show and theater.”
As he watched his LGBTQ+ siblings testify, he spent his time “doing the math” to see if there would be enough time in the three hours to get to his testimony. White also had hours to marvel at Williams’ disrespect toward those testifying.
“He was like a toddler, rocking back and forth in his chair while people were testifying, staring off into the distance and at the ceiling,” White said. “I bet it would get on his nerves if somebody were to act the way he did.”
For his part, White’s goal was to highlight how HB 249 ran afoul of the equal protection clause in the 14th Amendment. Though he has no legal training, he did a deep dive into applicable statutes, consulted with paralegals and learned everything he could about ordinances around clothing and regalia.
“This bill violates cis men and cis women’s rights by regulating a dress code as to what men and women can wear,” White said. “So it is basically saying men can wear suits and women can wear dresses, and there’s this ambiguous in-between.”
White felt an obligation to testify, especially as someone who is affected by these bills.
“I’m someone who no longer feels safe going out into any public spaces without somebody with me,” he said.
When White finished his prepared remarks (“shaving that down to three minutes was one of the most challenging things I have done!”), Thomas adjourned the hearing, which meant that White did not have to experience Rep. Williams’ questioning.
Rep. Christine Cockley (D-Columbus), the only out LGBTQ+ Ohio state representative, said that it is crucial that the LGBTQ+ community keep showing up in spaces, sharing their stories, and fighting against “bad legislation,” especially during this time of targeted attacks.
“Testifying is a powerful reminder that LGBTQ+ Ohioans are not invisible, and that our lives, experiences, and stories deserve to be respected in the policymaking process, Cockley said”
If the opportunity to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee on HB 249 arises, White wants his fellow LGBTQ+ Ohioans to know that they are not alone in the process.
“You have a sea of people there with you,” he said.” A family cheering you on and complimenting you afterwards. It’s easier than you think.” 🔥
IGNITE ACTION
- Want to learn more about testifying? Check out the companion piece “Want to tell legislators how you feel about policy? Here’s one way to do it.” by clicking here.
- To access The Buckeye Flame’s Ohio 2026 LGBTQ+ legislation guide, click 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 state senator, click here.
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