Ohio legislators banned gender-affirming care for transgender youth on Wednesday and prevented trans women and girls from competing on female school sports teams, overriding Gov. Mike DeWine’s (R) veto.
The Hill
Ohio now joins nearly two dozen other GOP-led states that have adopted similar laws after the state House also voted earlier this month to overturn the veto. Both chambers have Republican supermajorities.
As a result of the vote, transgender parents won’t be able to access treatments like puberty blockers and hormone therapy for those under the age of 18, though residents already on those treatments will be allowed to continue. The law takes effect in 90 days.
“Our youth deserve better from our elected officials than cruelty that targets and harms children,” advocacy group TransOhio said in a statement Wednesday. “Our community is strong and resilient in ways that hateful legislators can not comprehend, and trans Ohioans across the state cannot and will not be legislated away.”
Gender-affirming health care for trans minors and adults is considered medically necessary by many major medical organizations, though not every trans person chooses to medically transition or has access to care.
Republicans argued the bill protects children. But DeWine vetoed House Bill 68 on Dec. 29, telling reporters at a press conference that such a measure, if it became law, would do more harm than good.
Beyond the Legislature, access to gender-affirming health care for transgender minors and adults in Ohio is set to be heavily restricted under proposed administrative rules filed earlier this month by the state Health Department.
The proposed regulations have drawn criticism from LGBTQ rights groups and medical professionals, who say the rules would make Ohio one of the most restrictive states in the nation with respect to gender-affirming care. In a statement, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and ACLU of Ohio said the rules could amount to a “de facto ban” on care.