Dr. Ben Huelskamp on behalf of LOVEboldly
Dec 29, 2023
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 29, 2023
Westerville, OH
LOVEboldly celebrates Governor Mike DeWine’s veto of House Bill 68 today. We commend Governor DeWine in taking the time to speak to medical professionals and families of transgender youth before making his decision to veto this heinous piece of legislation.
HB68 would have banned gender-affirming care for transgender youth and restricted transgender women and girls from competing on women’s teams. Beyond the damage of the bill’s provisions, Ohio families would have been forced to make the decision of seeking out-of-state care for their transgender children or even leaving Ohio and their local communities.
Governor DeWine’s veto sends a strong message that Ohio is home for the LGBTQIA+ community, particularly the Transgender community.
As we move into 2024, LOVEboldly pauses to mark this victory and the many blessings we have had during including the significant outpouring of support from our partner organizations and many, many amazing and gracious Ohioans who showed up to hearings, gave testimony, submitted written testimony, demonstrated, provided support, called their elected officials, and invested in the LGBTQIA+ community and especially in the lives and futures of LGBTQIA+ youth and their families.
Yet, there is still much work to do. HB8 (censorship and don’t say gay bill), HB183 (anti-transgender bathroom ban), and HB245 (drag ban) remain threats to lives and inclusion of LGBTQIA+ Ohioans. LOVEboldly encourages our community to celebrate today’s victory and then focus on the work ahead.
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This statement may be attributed to Dr. Ben Huelskamp, Executive Director of LOVEboldly, on behalf of the LOVEboldly Board of Directors and LOVEboldly Community.
Direct correspondence to bhuelskamp@loveboldly.net.