On June 24 Ohio House approved an amended version of Ohio SB 187 which includes anti-transgender sports ban language.
This amended bill would ban transgender youth from participating in school sports consistent with their gender identity.
This discriminatory Ohio SB 187 has forward to Senate, where politicians are expected to consider the amended legislation. If passed, the bill would be open for Governor’s DeWine to consider.
Human Rights Campaign (HRC) president Alphonso David released the following statement on the movement of OH SB 187.
“The House’s eagerness to pass discriminatory legislation targeting transgender young people is shameful, particularly while Ohio has left a host of important issues unaddressed while the state recovers economically from a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic,” David states.
The HRC president added: “To make matters worse, anti-transgender legislation has historically created negative economic and legal consequences for states that dare to pass legislation. Ohio cannot afford the drain in talent or loss of business that could result from the passage of this legislation
“Transgender kids are just kids and they deserve the opportunity to play sports and gain the important lessons that stem from athletic participation. By moving this bill forward without evidence of a problem, the Ohio House is revealing their backwards priorities and doing so on the backs of a vulnerable group of young people who are simply asking for the same rights as any other kid.”
UPDATE: The motion to amend #SB187 to add anti-trans language just failed. We'll keep watching, and it doesn't hurt to call your legislators to demand they reject any attempts to pass this language into law.
— Human Rights Campaign (@HRC) June 24, 2021
Since January 2021, eight states have enacted laws banning trans kids from playing sports and there are more than 250 anti-LGBTQ bills under consideration, in more than 30 state legislatures, across the country.
More than 120 of these bills target transgender people, while over 70 bills impact transgender youth by preventing them from participating in school sports consistent with their gender identity.
The US has seen a disturbing rise of anti-trans bills being introduced and passed. Currently, there are more than 234 anti-LGBTQ bills under consideration in state legislatures across the US.
There are 122 proposed bills that directly discriminate against transgender people and more than 60 of these bills, like the Women’s Sports Act, ban transgender girls and women from participating in sports consistent with their gender identity.
The wave of anti-trans bills has not been openly accepted either. Data shows that 100 major U.S. corporations have stood against anti-transgender legislation. Apple, Pfizer, IKEA, Microsoft, and Nike are a few companies objecting to these bills.
A PBS/NPR poll also uncovered that 67% of Americans, including 66% of Republicans, are not in favour of anti-transgender sports ban legislation proliferating across 30 states.
Related: When the media is anti-trans, it’s actually out of touch with young people
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