Ohio Rep. Josh Williams (Sylvania Twp.) has introduced his latest bill in his crusade against transgender Ohioans, now seeking to ban certain insurance coverage for gender-affirming surgeries and procedures for adults.
He introduced Williams HB 838 on Thursday. The bill has not yet been referred to committee.
The legislation would prohibit state and local governments from offering contracts to their employees that include “gender reassignment surgery protections, benefits or services.”
The legislation also states that if such benefits are offered, their cost will be subtracted from “local government fund contributions,” the revenue-sharing portion of the state’s Revenue Fund.
Williams broke a record by introducing more than 100 bills in a single General Assembly while running for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Six of these bills are explicitly anti-LGBTQ+, adding to his public statements that affirming a trans identity would be “harmful to society.”
- HB 249 (the “Indecent Exposure Modernization Act”), which would ban drag and gender-related performances in public spaces where minors are present. (Status: The bill passed the Ohio House and now goes to the Ohio Senate.)
- HB 262 to designate “Natural Family Month” to honor only heterosexual marriages with children. (Status: The bill is being considered by a House of Representatives committee; three hearings took place.)
- HB 693 (“The First Affirming Families Act”) to provide protections for parents who reject their transgender children. (Status: The bill is being considered by a House of Representatives committee; two hearings took place.)
- HB 796 to provide housing for all persons in state custody consistent with the state’s definition of “biological sex.” (Status: The bill was introduced but not assigned to a committee.)
- HB 798 (the “Privacy Act”), which would restrict transgender Ohioans’ access to public restrooms and prohibit Ohioans from changing their gender designation on their birth and death certificates. (Status: The bill was introduced but not assigned to a committee.)
Dara Adkison, executive director of TransOhioshe said HB 838 is just the latest bill in an “exhausting pattern in which one politician repeatedly attacks transgender Ohioans instead of addressing the real challenges facing our state.”
“Continuedly increasing restrictions on health care threatens the safety, health and well-being not only of transgender Ohioans, but of everyone,” Adkison said.
Adkison called HB 838 “reprehensible,” but reminded Ohioans that the bill was just introduced and is not law.
“Everyone deserves the ability to make informed decisions about their own health care, and every municipality deserves to retain authority over what will be covered in municipal employee insurance plans,” Adkison said. 🔥
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- To access The Buckeye Flame Ohio’s 2026 LGBTQ+ legislation guide, click here.
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