Ohioans Deserve an Explanation from Marcy Kaptur

By Ari Childrey

Back in May, Ohio District 9 Rep. Marcy Kaptur was one of only eight Democrats in Congress to vote for HR 2616, the “Stopping Indoctrination and Protecting Kids Act.” The federal bill, passed in the House and now headed to the Senate, would force schools to out trans students. It would also jeopardize schools’ funding if they “teach or advance concepts related to gender ideology” – a policy that could result in book bans and erase LGBTQ+ history.

I and a number of advocates attempted to get a meeting, a response, a statement, anything to explain Kaptur’s huge break from her otherwise relatively pro-equality legislative record, but mostly we came up empty.

Eventually, through a partnership with another advocate, a group of us were able to secure a Zoom meeting with a legislative assistant in Rep. Kaptur’s D.C. office. While the legislative assistant we spoke with was wonderful and very willing to listen, I can’t say that either of us walked away from that conversation particularly hopeful we would be getting a satisfactory answer. What we asked for was, very simply, a reason for the vote, some sort of statement explaining why a congresswoman would make such a drastic departure from her previous voting history.

On July 2, we all got the “answer” none of us hoped for. The same legislative assistant sent an email saying that she had spoken with the communications team and senior staff and they said Rep. Kaptur “will not be making a statement about her vote on HR 2616.”

As a trans woman, an advocate, a democrat and an Ohioan, I find that response pretty sad and cowardly. While I don’t live in Kaptur’s district, her vote in Congress impacts all Ohioans and could impact the lives of all Americans. I don’t think it’s too much to ask that she take five minutes to explain her vote.

The vote – and the refusal to even answer for or explain it – bring up an important issue. The sad fact is that transphobia has become a fundamental tenet of the MAGA movement. That makes it even more jarring when transphobia comes from politicians who have previously been aligned with equality.

We are seeing elected officials willing to compromise on the civil rights of marginalized communities in exchange for a perceived electoral advantage. This pattern reveals a harsh truth about the Democratic party establishment: The second political winds shift, they treat trans people like we are disposable.

Sadly, this is nothing new. In 2007, Democrats took a gamble that an Employment Non-Discrimination Act excluding trans people would be easier to pass. Instead, it failed anyway, and only served to tarnish the pro-equality records of the politicians involved.

Rep. Kaptur team appears to be gambling that if she and her team say nothing at all, the issue will simply fade from public memory. But we cannot let her hide.

I am calling on every trans person, and our lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer allies – the entire broader LGBTQ+ community reading this – to take action and contact Rep. Marcy Kaptur’s office. Call her staff, send emails and politely demand that she release a formal statement explaining her vote on HR 2616.

I am not telling anyone how to vote. But at the very least, a public servant who has served in the United States Congress for over 40 years should be fully prepared to give a reason for her vote, especially to the very community this legislation would harm.

If Rep. Kaptur stands by her decision, she should have the courage to say so publicly. If she will not speak about her vote, then her continued silence tells us everything we need to know. 🔥

Ari Childrey made history as the first out transgender woman to serve on a city council in Ohio, representing the 4th Ward on the St. Marys City Council. She serves as Vice Chair of the Ohio Democratic Party’s Pride Caucus and as the Communications Director for the Ohio Pride PAC. Childrey has been a candidate for the Ohio House of Representatives in District 84 in both 2024 and 2026.