Last night, despite the pushback of many Ohioans, including YWCA Columbus, the Ohio House of Representatives passed two anti-trans bills.  

House Bill 68 would ban gender-affirming care for youth – and recently became the vehicle bill for House Bill 6, the anti-trans sports bill, as it was folded into House Bill 68. Many reputable medical organizations, as well as hospital systems and individual doctors, are against this ban, as it diametrically defies best practices for providing care to transgender youth. We join these organizations in disapproving of the bill and calling on our representatives to listen to medical guidance, as the ban would prevent parents and youth from making their own medical decisions regarding life-saving healthcare.  

House Bill 8, which would require schools to notify parents if their child requests to “identify as a gender that does not align with their biological sex,” is a direct threat to students’ safety and privacy. LGBTQ+ youth are already at a heightened risk for violence, abandonment, and neglect, and this bill only serves to perpetuate harm, discrimination, and hatred.  

Vitally, these bills are not yet law. All trans youth deserve to feel safe and accepted – in healthcare settings, at school, and on the sports teams that correlate with their gender identity. We will keep our eyes and actions trained on the Senate, as we continue to work to prevent this injustice from becoming law in Ohio. 

There is no empowerment of all women without the inclusion and protection of transgender people. Until gender justice just is.