On the last day of Pride month, the transgender community of Ohio was betrayed—all for the sake of winning an election.
In a June 30th article for the Toledo Blade, Dr. Amy Acton was quoted as saying, “I do not support boys playing in girls’ sports. This is already settled law in Ohio, and as governor I will enforce and uphold the law.”
This statement, coming on the heels of the Supreme Court upholding anti-transgender sports bans across the country, felt like a calculated abandonment. Since its publication, Dr. Acton has remained silent, and in that silence, her true priorities have spoken loudly.
When I posted my heartbreak on Acton’s stance to Threads and Facebook, I was immediately hit with a wave of blowback. Commenters accused me of everything from spreading misinformation to being a “Neo-Nazi in disguise”—a deeply ironic accusation to hurl at a trans person demanding basic dignity. I understand the cynical politics at play here. I understand the pragmatism of those who argue we must remain quiet, get her elected and avoid a Vivek Ramaswamy governorship at all costs. What I do not understand is how people still fail to see the rot at the core of this compromise.
The transgender community has spent years under siege. Statehouses across the country have systematically introduced bills to strip us of our constitutional rights, while the federal administration uses its bully pulpit to demonize our existence. How is it that even after all of this, the people who claim to be our allies will still so easily throw us under the proverbial bus?
I expected far more from Dr. Amy Acton. Since launching her campaign for governor, she has built her platform on a message of love, health and inclusivity. Yet, just weeks after walking in Columbus Pride and being showered with love from the LGBTQ+ community, she chose to legitimize a discriminatory law that targets an infinitesimally small number of vulnerable youth in Ohio.
Think of the middle school girl who only dreams of running track with her peers. Think of what she faces daily just for having the courage to be herself. Are we really doing all of this just so she doesn’t win a game? Proponents of these bans ignore the wealth of scientific studies proving that trans youth on puberty blockers or HRT maintain no unfair competitive advantage. One such study conducted by a team of eight researchers in Brazil disproves the theories of inherent athletic advantages for transgender women over cisgender.
But there lies the deeper trap: Ohio’s House Bill 68 didn’t just ban that young girl from the playing field; it simultaneously stripped away her right to receive the very medical care she needs that creates a level playing field in the first place.
For years, Ohio and the OHSAA maintained a fact-based, successful policy that allowed for the safe inclusion of transgender athletes. It worked. It created an environment where all student-athletes could thrive. But after years of coordinated dehumanization designed to vilify us, we are left to wonder if any politician will ever have the courage to stand up and truly fight for us.
All we want is to be seen and respected for who we are. You do not have to fully understand our lives, but you must respect our right to live them freely, with the same equitable access to American life as anyone else.
While I cannot tell you how to vote in November, I can tell you that painting Dr. Acton as merely “the lesser of two evils” plays directly into the hands of those who want us erased from public life entirely.
In 2026, we do not need cautious, poll-tested politicians; we need leaders willing to show radical support for marginalized communities. If Dr. Acton truly wants to prove she is the better choice for Ohio, she needs to rise above the political calculus and actually prove it. 🔥
Editor’s Note: The Buckeye Flame reached out to Dr. Acton’s campaign staff to schedule an interview regarding her candidacy and received the response that “Dr. Acton doesn’t have room in her schedule for this right now.” We were not able to find any mention of LGBTQ+ issues on her campaign website.
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