Topline
Mike DeWine, the next Republican governor to oppose a ban on transgender care, vetoed legislation that would have prohibited gender-affirming childcare.
Important Information
H.B. was approved by the Ohio legislature. A thorough act prohibiting transgender students from participating in single-sex sports teams and requiring grade schools, public colleges, and private universities to do so was passed on December 18.
DeWine instructed lawmakers to only enact new regulations that would limit contentious aspects of transgender medicine and stated that he “cannot sign this bill as it is currently written.”
At a press conference where he announced his decision, DeWine remarked, “Ohio may be saying that the state or the government knows better than what is medically best for the child, than the two people who love that child the most—the parents.”
The governor stated that he “sought out people on all sides of the issue to listen to their concerns,” including doctors who provided gender-affirming care and parents of transgender children, before making his decision.
