Ohio House Bill 8
LOVEboldly's Stance: OPPOSE
Download LOVEboldly's Congregational Resource for HB8
(This is a great resource to include in your bulletin or other printed material.)
Why should Christians care about Ohio HB8?
Summary - HB8
HB8 is a school censorship bill like the "don't say gay/don't say Trans" bills proposed and enacted in other states. However, HB8 goes further and involves a vague, poorly defined process by which items can be removed from schools. HB8 would also force teachers, administrators, and school counselors to disclose to parents the gender identity and sexual orientation of students even if the student has asked that their parents not be told.
Status of the Bill
(as of April 21, 2024)
HB8 was passed by the House on June 21, 2023. It was introduced in the Senate on September 12, 2023. It was assigned to the Senate Education Committee on September 13, 2023. The last hearing on HB8 was held held in the Senate on December 12, 2023. An "all testimony" hearing as been scheduled for Tuesday, April 23, at 3pm.
Take Action
1. Consider submitting testimony or testifying in person on Tuesday. Submit your testimony no later than 3pm on MONDAY to brenner@ohiosenate.gov, ingram@ohiosenate.gov, and educationcommittee@ohiosenate.gov. You will need to submit a witness slip with your testimony. The witness slip for the Senate Education Committee is available here.
2. Second, call Chair Brenner (614-466-8086) and urge him not to bring HB8 to a committee vote on Tuesday.
3. Third, email and call the members of the Senate Education Committee (click here for their website). Urge them to vote NO on HB8.
4. Call or email your senator. Tell them to vote NO on HB 8.
(Don't know who your senator or representative is? Click here to find out. Just use the search function at the bottom of the page.)
Congregational Action*
1. Members of your congregation can participate in all the actions above.
2. Donate supplies to Trans Allies of Ohio for their community care rooms. During almost every hearing for bills that will impact the LGBTQIA+ community, Trans Allies of Ohio holds safer space for rest and fellowship. They would appreciate the support of congregations for food, beverage, and other items to continue making these spaces affirming of all people.
3. If your congregation is not yet a Church Partner with LOVEboldly consider becoming a partner.
4. Encourage your members to donate to LOVEboldly or one of our strategic partners including Equality Ohio, TransOhio, Trans Allies of Ohio, Honesty for Ohio Education, and the ACLU of Ohio.
Additional Resources on Ohio House Bill 8
*Legal Stuff
We're not lawyers and nothing we say should be taken as legal advice. Please consult your congregational and denominational legal counsel for legal advice. That said, we know congregations sometimes wonder what they can and cannot do when it comes to advocacy.
Like LOVEboldly, most churches are 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations and as such are tax exempt. Donors to 501(c)(3) organizations can also, under some circumstances, deduct their donations from their taxes (another area where people should consult a professional which LOVEboldly is not).
DO - Churches and other 501(c)(3) nonprofits can engage in issue-based advocacy. This means we can publicly support or oppose policies, bills, regulations, and other governmental actions. In most cases our support or opposition is in the form of educating people and then arguing why people should support or oppose a particular issue. Everything on this page is an example of issue-based advocacy in opposition to HB8.
DON'T - Churches and other 501(c)(3) organizations cannot engage in partisan politics. We can neither endorse particular politicians nor can we lobby politicians or government officials. We can hold nonpartisan events such as a voter registration drive. We all have examples of churches behaving badly: pastors endorsing candidates from the pulpit, sermons demonizing other candidates, and many more. Don't model their behavior.