By Ken Schneck, The Buckeye Flame

State legislatures across the United States have considered more than 490 anti-LGBTQ+ bills 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. Republicans in the Buckeye State got off a slow start, but now seem determined to catch up with anti-LGBTQ+ legislation in Ohio. Here is an overview of the most prominent House bills (HB): 

• 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. There is no indication in HB 6 as to how to determine the sex of students. (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.” 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 will be assigned to a Senate committee.

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 sponsors amended the bill in April to add confidential counseling services. 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. The committee will vote on whether to move the bill to 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: On May 24, the Public Health Policy committee held a third hearing for HB 68. Opponents submitted more than 300 pieces of testimony, but the committee allowed only nine people to testify. A fourth hearing is scheduled for 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. Youth who are already taking hormones would have 180 days to stop before their prescriptions are outlawed. 

Status of the bill: House leadership assigned HB 113 to the State and Local Government committee in March. No hearings are scheduled.

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 schools and colleges to designate restrooms and locker rooms 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: The sponsors introduced the bill on May 23. It’s expected to be assigned to a committee soon and to move quickly.

The Buckeye Flame will continue to update this guide on its own site as the bills move forward.