Two Ohio trans elected officials support voting for Acton (but don’t excuse her comments)

Amy Heutmaker’s wife Erin came home on June 30 to find Heutmaker crying on the couch. Erin asked Amy what was wrong.

“All I could say was, ‘Why did she do this to us?’” Heutmaker said.

The “she” was Ohio gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton and the “this” was Acton misgendering trans girls and supporting the state’s trans sports ban.

For Heutmaker, a Russell Township trustee who is one of only a handful of out trans elected officials in Ohio, Acton’s comment was “beyond frustrating.”

“I felt personally dehumanized,” Heutmaker said.

But it has also been frustrating for Heutmaker to see the fierce debate since June 30 among Democrats – and specifically trans Democrats – about how to navigate the upcoming election. The possibilities raised have included everything from boycotting the election to supporting a third-party candidate.

After attending an Ohio Democratic Party meeting in September, Heutmaker reached out to Dion Manley, a Gahanna-Jefferson City School District school board member, to put together a joint statement as two out trans elected officials in an effort to unite Ohio’s trans community.

The statement released on Monday recognizes the “deep hurt” caused by Acton’s comment and calls on Acton’s campaign and Democratic candidates across the state to do more.

“We count on allies not simply to oppose discrimination, but to affirm our dignity, our access to healthcare, and our equal place in Ohio,” the statement reads.

Calls for greater accountability in the Ohio Democratic Party

With Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur’s recent release of two anti-trans ads and reports from Ohio Democratic Party (ODP)  insiders that criticism of those anti-trans ads has been censored, the call for Democrats to do more has been echoed across the state. 

Akron City Councilperson Fran Wilson, who identifies as genderqueer, said that ODP leadership and candidates must change their tactics and do so quickly.

“They need to get serious about supporting the Queer community, before we step out from their shrinking big tent,” Wilson said. “We are not political props for straight and cis people — we are people who deserve dignity and fucking respect.”

Heutmaker and Manley also called for greater accountability: “We expect Dr. Acton to listen to transgender Ohioans, learn from this moment, and demonstrate through both policy and leadership that every Ohioan belongs in our state.”

Despite Acton’s comment, the two elected officials expressed their support of the candidate who they said they have both spent time with in person. They said that she “has the skills, strength, and determination to confront the challenges facing Ohio,” as opposed to Vivek Ramaswamy, her Republican opponent who has a documented history of anti-LGBTQ+ attacks.

Even though the statement ultimately calls for Ohioans to rally behind Acton, insiders again say that the ODP is censoring criticism of anti-trans tactics. Posting on social media as an advocate and not in her role as the vice-chair of the Pride Caucus, Ari Childrey said the ODP has forbade the Pride Caucus from sharing Heutmaker and Manley’s statement.

“The fact that even a statement encouraging people to vote for Acton is not allowed if it also dares to criticize the anti-trans positions she took, shows how far the ODP will go to censor the Pride Caucus and queer voices,” Childrey wrote.

An online petition has been launched calling on the ODP to “stop censoring the Pride Caucus.”

Understanding the pushback

Their statement for trans Ohioans to support Acton has experienced pushback online, and Heutmaker and Manley said they understand the resistance.

Manley said he shares the outrage “with the inhumanity being inflicted on us and our loved ones.” Still, he doesn’t want his trans siblings to sit out this fight.

“To not vote is not being neutral or opting out in a gerrymandered state but is giving their valuable vote to the oppressor,” Manley said. “Voting is not easy and is very frustrating by design to silence folks, but we cannot give up.”

Heutmaker said she has to accept that some Ohioans are not going to vote in the election due to Acton’s actions, but feels not voting is a mistake. She points to a statement attributed to former U.S. Representative Barney Frank, an out gay man: “If you’re not at the table, then you’re probably on the menu.”

“I think we move forward collectively by working with people and keeping our seat at the table,” Heutmaker said. 🔥

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