Ohio Republicans Lament On "Trans Suffering" As They Cast Votes To Cause More Of It

During debate on HB68, a gender affirming care ban for trans youth as well as athletics for students through college, Ohio Republicans lamented on trans suffering. They passed the bill anyway.

On Wednesday, Ohio Senate Republicans debated a gender-affirming care ban for transgender youth, as well as a trans athletics ban for trans youth and adults. The bill, which could have significant negative mental and physical health consequences for transgender individuals in the state, passed along party lines. During the debate on the bill, Republicans stood up and lamented the suffering of transgender people, purportedly expressing sadness about the fear and pain they feel. In a glaring contradiction with their words, they proceeded to cast the votes that cause the suffering they professed to care about.

It is not hard to understand why Ohio Republicans felt the need to lament the pain transgender people feel. Many testified in the hearings that they would be forced to leave the state should such a bill pass. Local activist Cam Ogden, for instance, reported on Twitter that, as the bill was being heard, she held a crying 9-year-old who would not be protected by the last-minute addition of the grandfather clause to the bill. During the bill hearings, over 500 pieces of testimony were submitted against the bill, mostly from people in the state, expressing the tremendous pain being barred from care and participation would bring them. Despite outnumbering the mostly out-of-state opponents 10:1, the legislature passed the bill anyway.

What is harder to understand. however, is how human beings faced with that pain could cast a vote to cause more of it.

For example, one Senator, Senator Terry Johnson, stood and stated that when he was a doctor treating substance abuse, he saw more trans people than any of his previous medical specialties. Research confirms that this is true: transgender people, like all LGBTQ+ people, are more likely to have substance use disorders. In a meta study published in the journal Brain Sciences, researchers determined that the “stigma, prejudice, discrimination, and harassment these individuals receive regularly from society” likely plays a role in such substance use. In a later study, researchers determined that external factors such as discrimination directly led to drug abuse in transgender people. Despite Senator Johnson’s purported sadness at the mental health of transgender people, he cast a vote that would directly increase the problems he claimed to care about.

Senator Brenner testified the vote was a “heartwrenching” vote and that he “could understand why” trans youth would be allowed to transition. He then erroneously claimed that there was no scientific evidence that gender affirming care reduces depression or saves lives. This is despite copious scientific evidence showing likewise that was submitted to him, including:

• A study showing a 73% decrease in suicidality and similar decreases in depression and anxiety for gender affirming care published in the prestigious Journal of the American Medical Association.

• A study showing a 40% decrease in 1-year suicide attempts in the Journal of Adolescent Health.

• A comment in Lancet showing that trans care is so powerful, it should be considered preventative healthcare.

• A collection of over 50 studies analyzed by Cornell showing the powerful lifesaving effects of trans care.

• A review by leading researchers at Yale School of Medicine showing the scientific evidence that gender affirming care bans, specifically Florida’s ban, causes more harm.

Senator Roegner, who introduced the bill, acknowledged that "transgender people are real… and they do suffer, they deserve dignity, compassion, and community." However, she subsequently referred to trans care as a "fad." In the committee hearing, which she chaired, numerous individuals testified about the history and evidence supporting such care, including top medical professionals and representatives from the state’s leading hospitals. Nevertheless, supporters of the bill proposed an alternative and more harmful approach: family rejection of a transgender child’s identity and conversion therapy, despite the suffering that causes. Contrary to her professed concern for the suffering of transgender youth, Senator Roegner voted in favor of more suffering, even going as far as defending a provision that doctors can’t even “aid or abet” gender transition by telling patients what their out of state care options are.

Democrats in the Senate attempted to put forward amendments that would make the bill less harmful to transgender youth. These amendments included creating a committee to research care and direct the right course of action off of that research as well as removing the aiding and abetting clause. None of the amendments passed. Democratic Senator DeMora, sensing the clear pending outcome of the bill, turned and instead spoke to the trans people in the audience themselves and said, “My democratic colleagues and I will continue to fight for you, and I personally will not stop until Ohio is a safe place for you to live. I am sorry that this state is not safe for you to live now, and I apologize to all of you personally.”

The bill has one final step before it becomes law - it must be signed by Governor DeWine. Should he veto it, Republicans in the state have enough votes to overturn the veto, but it is not immediately clear they would do so given the immense influence on politics the governor has in the state. Kaleidoscope Youth Center in Ohio and other local organizations have provided the following information in order to advocate that he veto the bill:

HELP STOP HOUSE BILL 68 FROM BECOMING LAW: Contact Governor Mike DeWine (614-466-3555, governor@governor.ohio.gov) and tell him to veto H.B. 68.

As of this morning, DeWine’s voice mail is full but calls are still being taken directly by staff.

Update: The email may no longer be working. Instead, you can go to this form: https://governor.ohio.gov/contact