As Ohio’s Republican majority seeks to transform the state’s public education system, Youngstown middle school teacher Erica Putro was surprised to discover that her colleagues knew little about anti-LGBTQ+ legislation that would completely change the way they interact with queer students.
Few of her peers knew much about him Ohio House of Representatives Bill 8 (the “Parents’ Bill of Rights”), which requires schools to exclude transgender students who “identify as gender non-conforming” to the gender marker on their original birth certificate.
Concerned about the lack of awareness, Putro helped launch it Integrity for Education in the Mahoning Valley together with a local non-profit organization supporting LGBTQ+, Mahoning Valley Queer Action (MVQA). The goal is to educate teachers about anti-LGBTQ+ laws that impact their classrooms and aid motivate school officials to protect students.
“We should ensure that children are healthy, safe, supported, challenged and engaged,” Putro said. “It is impossible to be sure that children are healthy and safe if we embrace extremist ideology.”
HB 8 is “hard to ignore” and the lack of guidance from schools has been “frustrating,” said Putro, who has been a teacher for 27 years and whose own children are LGBTQ+. New Anti-LGBTQ+ Laws, Executive Orders, and Trans Teen Deaths – Including a Murder in 2024 Pauly Compares in nearby Sharon, Pennsylvania – hit too close to home.
“Everything started to feel very personal,” Putro said. Queer teens in the community “just really want to be kids.”
Even though the bill had an impact in the classroom, she stated that “very few teachers” knew about the bill – including leaders in her own school district. “She felt really brave one day” when she saw just board members in the hallway.
“I said, ‘Can you talk to me about our HB 8 policy – the policy that you all had to write over the summer and file with the state that requires that if a student asks us to use different pronouns, we call their parents?’” Putro recalled. “The board member had no idea what I was talking about.”
The local group was formed after one of MVQA Putro’s members took a job Fairness for Education in Ohio – A statewide, nonpartisan coalition advocating for student protections from discrimination and supporting local control of schools. Having this connection helped MVQA create the Mahoning Valley Integrity team, which works with the state group.
“We were wondering if we could work with [Honesty for Ohio Education]then maybe the resources and the tools and even just the public profile that they have would give us some influence or help us make progress,” Putro said.
On July 11, Honesty for Mahoning Valley Education hosted its first major event: a panel discussion with an organization advocating for LGBTQ students Shineamong others. The turnout was petite, but Putro said people were engaged.
Honesty for Mahoning Valley Education will host first open meeting at 6:30 p.m., Thursday, July 30, at the Newport Library, 3730 Market St. in Youngstown.
Even as the culture wars dominate media attention, Putro said she doesn’t want to lose sight of the real issue that parents, teachers and citizens must fight: the elimination of free public education.
“Start these conversations, be more direct [our] school principals and school boards. If that’s what comes out of it, we’d be thrilled,” she said. “We have to remember that these public schools are ours too and always have been.” 🔥
START ACTION
- To learn more about the first Honesty for Mahoning Valley Education open meeting on July 30, click here.
- To access Honesty for Ohio Education’s educational resources, click here.
- To learn more about LGBTQ+ legislation in Ohio, check out The Buckeye Flame’s 2025-2026 LGBTQ+ Legislation Guide by clicking here.
