After Ohio Republicans voted to override their own governor’s veto of a controversial transgender care ban, it has been an especially difficult week for the transgender community.
The proposed House Bill 68, which would restrict access to gender-affirming treatment for minors and transgender women’s participation in school activities, was vetoed by Ohio’s governor Mike DeWine on Friday, January 5—a somewhat unusual action for a Republican figure.
DeWine vetoed the idea that transgender youth should not have access to gender-affirming healthcare, which is supported by all major health organizations, but should instead be decided by the child’s parents and doctors.
In order to learn more about the life-saving benefits of gender-affirming care, DeWine decided to visit three children’s hospitals and speak with families and healthcare professionals.
Despite this, the Republican-led House overrode DeWine’s veto and sent the anti-transgender bill to the Senate with a vote of 65-28 this year. If passed, Ohio would become the 23rd state in the US to restrict gender-affirming care for minors, and the 25th state to limit transgender students’ participation in sports.
The House vote on Wednesday (January 10) shocked many people, including Democratic Rep. Jessica E. Miranda, who took the time to ensure that her fellow lawmakers understood the harm they were about to cause by delivering a speech that would break their hearts.
She told the House of Representatives, “I’d like to speak directly to Ohioans who I hope are tuning in and watching this hypocrisy play out right before us.”
“People, please pay close attention to what is happening today. Find out who truly values your safety. The so-called ‘party of individual, parental, and protection’ is voting to strip away your family rights. In opposition to their own Republican governor, the so-called freedom caucus is now voting to deny you your freedom.”
The saying “the boogeyman who doesn’t exist is killing our democracy,” Miranda continued. “You are literally killing our children with this vote to override the governor’s veto. Think about that for a second. Actually killing our children in order to win your primary elections. It’s vile.
Lastly, I hope the money that CCV, the so-called Center for Christian Virtue, raises to bully our children keeps them up every single day of their miserable lives. I’m grateful.”
Although activist groups have vowed to continue fighting for this highly marginalized group until bills like this are reversed once and for all, Wednesday’s vote has left transgender advocates and their families feeling deflated.
Transgender people have always existed, and before 2020, no state had passed legislation to prevent transgender Americans from receiving care, according to the Human Rights Campaign.
However, since then, legislation aimed at restricting and harming transgender individuals, especially children and adolescents, has been rapidly introduced.
The Trans Legislation Tracker reports that 587 anti-transgender bills were introduced in 2023, with 85 of them being passed and 166 still in effect.
Despite a growing body of evidence, research, and endorsements demonstrating the benefits of gender-affirming care, transgender participation in sports, and transgender access to facilities that match their gender identity, several state legislatures have introduced many more such bills just two weeks into 2024.
President Kelley Robinson of the Human Rights Campaign commented on the Ohio vote on Wednesday to override Governor DeWine, stating that “MAGA extremists in the Senate have given in to Trump’s bullying and decided that politicians, not parents, should determine what healthcare Ohio’s youth have access to.”
Instead of doing what is best for Ohioans, the override is a blatant attempt to curry favor with Trump and appease their base. But the fight is far from over. We will continue to work to have these terrible laws overturned.”
Similarly, these bills endanger the lives and well-being of transgender youth and individuals across the state and needlessly place politicians and government officials between them and their healthcare providers, according to the American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Ohio.
The power over the bodies, lives, and futures of Ohioans is being wielded in a dangerous and misguided manner. These extreme and deadly proposals must not be allowed to advance in the interest of protecting the lives of transgender people and their fundamental right to self-determination.
“Ohio voters have made it clear at the polls that private healthcare decisions should not be influenced by government officials; people and doctors should handle these issues, not politicians.”
