The Ohio Statehouse Photo: Niagara66, Wikimedia Commons

This story was originally published by the Buckeye Flame and republished here with permission.
Over 490 anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been introduced in state legislatures across the United States since the start of the year.

This is both a new record and more than double the number introduced in 2022, according to the ACLU.

Due to squabbles about leadership within the Republican party in the Ohio House of Representatives, the Ohio legislature got off a slow 2023 start in keeping pace with other states’ anti-LGBTQ+ efforts. But they now seem determined to catch up.

To help you differentiate one House Bill (HB) from another, we have put together this easy-to-use reference guide to the most prominent LGBTQ+ bills. We will continue to update this guide as the bills move forward.

Unlike years past, there are zero pro-LGBTQ+ equality bills being considered at present: there is no version of the Fairness Act currently on the table nor any efforts to ban conversion therapy statewide.

(BUCKEYE FLAME EDITOR’S NOTE: Ohio’s LGBTQ+ community is deeply affected by bills regarding bans on reproductive healthcare, attempts to limit voter participation and the bills aimed at destroying free speech on college campuses. This list should not suggest any one piece of legislation is more paramount than another.)

  • HB 6 – The Save Women’s Sports Act (banning trans female athletes)
  • HB 8 – The Parents’ Bill of Rights (forcing teachers/school staff to out LGBTQ+ youth)
  • HB 68 – Save Adolescents From Experimentation Act (banning gender-affirming care)
  • HB 113 – Designate ‘Detrans Awareness Day‘
  • HB 183 – The Bathroom Bill

HB 6 – The Save Women’s Sports Act (banning trans female athletes)

Sponsor: Rep. Jena Powell (R-Arcanum)

What would this bill do: The bill would ban transgender girls and women from competing in sports from kindergarten through college. Unlike past iterations of this bill, there is no indication in HB 6 as to how the sex of students is determined. Last year’s House Bill triggered national outcry with the requirement of genital checks. It is also significant that this year’s bill includes institutions of higher education — and specifically “private colleges” — and was heard in the Higher Education committee. Previous versions limited the applicability of this athletic ban to K-12 education.

Status of the bill: The Higher Education committee passed HB 6 out of committee on May 10. It now heads to the full House for a floor vote. If approved there, the bill would be assigned to a committee in the Senate. Last year, the bill passed out of Senate committee, but failed to pass the Senate because it was packaged together with an unrelated but controversial plan to overhaul K-12 education.

HB 8 – The Parents’ Bill of Rights (forcing teachers/school staff to out LGBTQ+ youth)

Sponsors: Reps. D.J. Swearingen (R-Huron) and Sara Carruthers (R-Hamilton)

What would this bill do: If passed, the bill would force all teachers and school staff — including social workers and school counselors — to out LGBTQ+ students to their parents. According to the bill’s language, schools must “notify a student’s parent of any change in the student’s services or monitoring related to the student’s mental, emotional or physical health or well-being.” The bill was amended in April to add “counseling services,” now requiring parental notification of anything a student shares during confidential counseling sessions. The bill also requires parent notification regarding “sexually explicit content” materials in the curriculum with only a vague definition of “sexually explicit.”

Status of the bill: HB 8 has already had four hearings in the Primary and Secondary Education committee. At the fourth hearing on May 10, teachers, social workers, school counselors, parents and LGBTQ+ advocates all testified against the bill, calling it the “Unsafe Students Act.” They all provided statements that passing HB 8 would result in harm to LGBTQ+ youth who would lose trust in school staff and thus not come forward for support. It is expected that the committee would next vote on whether to move this bill to consideration of the full House.

HB 68 – Save Adolescents From Experimentation Act (banning gender-affirming care)

Sponsor: Rep. Gary Click (R-Vickery)

What would this bill do: If passed, the bill would ban gender-affirming care in the state of Ohio: prohibiting physicians from prescribing cross-sex hormones or puberty blockers, and from performing any type of gender-affirming surgery on minors. Additionally, the bill would outlaw conduct that “aids and abets,” prohibiting healthcare providers from helping their minor patients receive gender-affirming care in other states. The bill also mandates that mental health professionals report annually information regarding minors they have treated for gender-related conditions and prohibits Medicaid from covering gender transition services.

Status of the bill: A third hearing for HB 68 was held on May 24 in the Public Health Policy committee. Over 300 pieces of testimony were submitted in opposition to the bill. Only nine of these individuals were granted the time to testify at the third hearing. The committee chair announced that a fourth hearing will be held for HB 68 on June 14.

HB 113 – Detrans Awareness Day

Sponsor: Rep. Gary Click (R-Vickery)

What would this bill do: This bill would designate the twelfth day of March as ‘Detrans Awareness Day.’ The concept of detransitioning –defined as stopping or reversing gender transition, which can include medical treatment or changes in appearance, or both – sits at the core of Click’s arguments in favor of HB 68 (above). At a February press conference introducing the bill, Click argued that 85% to 95% of trans youth will outgrow those feelings. Recent research puts those numbers at closer to 2.5%. HB 68 would directly and forcibly detransition youth in Ohio. Under the bill, youth already taking hormones would not be grandfathered into the bill; they would be given 180 days to stop taking hormones completely, after which their prescriptions would be outlawed.

Status of the bill: HB 113 was referred to the State and Local Government committee in March, but has yet to be scheduled for a hearing.

HB 183 – The Bathroom Bill

Sponsors: Representatives Beth Lear (R-Galena) and Adam Bird (R-New Richmond)

What would this bill do: The bill would require that all restrooms and locker rooms in Ohio’s schools and colleges be designated for use by individuals who are one “biological sex.” This would eliminate multi-stall inclusive restrooms, like the one at Cleveland State University. The bill would also restrict schools from granting a trans student access to a bathroom that doesn’t correspond with the gender assigned to them at birth, eliminating accommodations for trans students that school staff have arranged across the state. Finally, the bill would prohibit “a member of the female biological sex to share overnight accommodation with a member of the male biological sex” and vice versa, seemingly in an attempt to address the sleeping arrangement of trans students during overnight field trips or athletic competitions.

Status of the bill: This bill was introduced on May 23 and has not yet been assigned to a committee. Every indication is that it will be assigned and that the bill will move quickly.

Click here to enter your address to find out who represents you at the Ohio Statehouse. Then contact them. Immediately. And make your thoughts known on all of the above.

This story was originally published by the Buckeye Flame and republished here with permission.

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This article appears in May 17-30, 2023.

Ken Schneck, The Buckeye Flame