AP Stephen Zenner
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Gender-affirming care for transgender students is prohibited in at least 22 states. Ohio, however, is not one of them as of Friday. Gov. made a startling decision. Ohio House Bill 68, a gnarly resolution that would have prohibited transgender youths from receiving gender-affirming care and the “Save Women’s Sports Act,” which forbids trans girls from participating in girls’ and women’s sports, was vetoed by Mike DeWine, an ardent conservative who once signed legislation allowing teachers to carry firearms in class.
DeWine stated during a press conference on Friday that while this bill would only have repercussions for the very small percentage of Ohio’s children, the effects on those children who suffer from gender dysphoria and their families could not be more severe. “In the end, I think this has to do with preserving human life.”
The country saw more anti-trans bills introduced in 2023 than it had in the previous six years, making it a significant year for misogynistic legislation. Data from the Human Rights Campaign shows that at least 35.1% of transgender youth reside in states with a moratorium on gender-affirming treatment, which has terrible repercussions for these children and their families. As Katie Herchenroeder, a coworker of mine, stated earlier this year:
Individuals who are thinking about how to care for their children face fresh challenges with each decision, each morning, and each quarter. Those who are already receiving care, including some people affected by these laws, are put in purgatory and forced to choose between trying to leave or waiting it out. And how do they know which states will continue to serve as safe havens for treatment if they can find a way to keep? The lack of this life-affirming care can be disastrous for young transgender people. The Trevor Project estimates that every 45 seconds, at least one LGBTQ youth in the US, between the ages of 13 and 24, really contemplate suicide.
Following Arkansas’ Asa Hutchinson in 2021, DeWine is the next Republican governor to veto a similar act. According to The Hill, he reportedly consulted advocates for and against the measure for two weeks prior to the vote.
According to DeWine, “Ohio may be saying that the state,” if House Bill 68 were to become law, and “the state knows better than what is biologically better for a child than the two people who love them the most: their parents.”
