Transgender group urges Ohio lawmakers to reject ‘anti-trans’ budget measures

The Trans Unity Coalition, a Michigan-based organization, is lobbying legislators on Wednesday against measures in House Bill 96, an expansive proposal passed by the Ohio House in April outlining the state’s next two-year budget. Bree Taylor, executive director of the coalition, argues the legislation sneaks in several pieces that are harmful to the LGBTQ+ community.

Taylor pointed to provisions in H.B. 96 that would bar funding to mental health facilities and youth homeless shelters “that promote or affirm social gender transition.” Watch a previous NBC4 report on the budget proposal in the video player above.

“Those are unhoused children who many times statistically are more likely to be queer themselves, so to deprive shelters of funding because they are seen as supporting kids who are already going through a transitional process, to me that’s just despicable,” said Taylor. “I don’t know how anyone with a conscious could say that is something that is appropriate.”

Another is a policy recognizing two sexes, male and female, which states “these sexes are not changeable and are grounded in fundamental and incontrovertible reality.” Taylor noted the policy, which is modeled after a Trump administration order, could violate the Ohio Constitution’s single-subject rule given it doesn’t pertain to funding.

House Speaker Matt Huffman (R-Lima) argued in early April that it’s admissible for the fiscal document to include a sex provision given “it’s accepted science that there are two genders.” Huffman said, “This simply ends the discussion in the state of Ohio which I think most voters, most citizens of Ohio agree with, and it also prevents us from having months and months and weeks of arguments if we do it in a bill or otherwise.”

H.B. 96 would also require public libraries to place material “related to sexual orientation or gender identity or expression in a portion of the public library that is not primarily open to the view of the persons under the age of 18.” Taylor argued the measure could ostracize LGBTQ+ youth.

Another provision would prohibit state agencies from displaying any flag, like a Pride flag or other political symbols, except for Ohio, U.S. and POW/MIA flags. While Taylor argued the measure could make marginalized communities feel unwelcome, Rep. Brian Stewart (R-Ashville) said in early April the flag rule removes “some of this divisiveness out of our discourse.”

“Whether it’s a conservative-coded flag or a liberal-coded flag, let’s just go back to our public buildings [being] for everybody,” Stewart said. “The flags that fly outside should be symbols that are broadly accepted by everybody rather than sort of inserting government into these more divisive ideas.”

Taylor said the coalition is planning to meet with various lawmakers on Wednesday to raise their concerns. While she doesn’t have faith that legislators will remove these provisions, Taylor is hoping the coalition’s efforts will create awareness and persuade Gov. Mike DeWine to line item veto these measures.

“Some of these provisions quite literally do not impact the state expenditure in any manner whatsoever,” Taylor said. “These are provisions that are in bad faith, purely being snuck in because legislators know that having this massive bill that pertains to money and state funding, they really just want to get that through.”