The Ohio House of Representatives passed a bill tardy Wednesday evening in its final session before the summer break that would ban transgender students from using bathrooms and locker rooms that match their gender identity.
House Bill 183 added Senate Bill No. 104 as an amendment reported in the House on Wednesday evening, then SB 104 was adopted, as amended, by a 60-31 vote. All House Democrats who were present voted against the bill. Republicans Jamie Callender and Gayle Manning also voted against the bill.
Country Sen. Jerry Cirino, R-Kirtland, introduced Senate Bill 104, which changes the College Credit Plus program.
The bill returns to the Senate for approval, but lawmakers are now on summer break.
What’s in HB 183?
State Reps. Beth Lear, R-Galena, and Adam Bird, R-New Richmond, have introduced HB 183, which would require K-12 schools and colleges in Ohio to require students only to exploit the bathroom or locker room that matched their gender at birth.
“Boys and girls should not be in locker rooms together,” Lear said. “They should not be in bathrooms together and they should not share accommodation.”
Bird said school superintendents from across the state have approached him, saying they need the bill.
“Superintendents and school boards need clarity on this issue,” Bird said. “…We want to protect women and girls from assault and intimidation.”
The bill would not prohibit schools from having single-occupancy facilities and would not apply to people assisting a person with a disability or a child under the age of 10 who is assisted by a parent, guardian or family member.
The American Medical Association officially opposes policies that prevent transgender people from accessing imperative social services and public facilities consistent with their gender identity.
According to the data, 30% of LGBTQ+ students said they were prevented from using the restroom consistent with their gender, and 26% were not allowed to exploit the locker room consistent with their gender. Ohio State’s 2021 snapshot by GLSENwhich examines the school experiences of LGBTQ middle and high school students.
Looking specifically at transgender and non-binary students, according to the Ohio GLSEN report, 42% were unable to exploit their gender-specific bathroom and 36% were unable to exploit their gender-specific locker room.
More than 100 people testified against the bill in the House Higher Education Committee.
Debate on the floor of the House
The debate on the bathroom ban amendment lasted about 30 minutes before it was passed in the House.
Democrats opposing the bill said it was an attack on Ohio’s most marginalized students.
“I did not expect that we would be using the power of the state to abuse children and transgender people today,” said state Rep. Beth Liston, D-Dublin. “I will repeat my concern that we continue to focus on children’s genitals rather than their education. When it comes to protecting girls and women, I will tell you as a woman that I do not want or need your protection.
State Rep. Beryl Brown Piccolantonio, D-Gahanna, stated that she testified against the bill when she was president of the Gahanna-Jefferson School Board, before she was sworn in as a legislator.
“Most egregiously, this bill unnecessarily targets some of our most marginalized students,” she said. “Worse still, it targets a basic human function for which each of us deserves privacy. This is not what any child needs.”
House Minority Leader Allison Russo of the Arlington Democratic Party shared her frustration with Republican lawmakers over spending time on the bathroom bill while schools face other pressing issues, such as teacher shortages or busing problems.
“I think we’re focusing on the wrong things again,” she said. “There are so many things that need to be done in our school districts, for schools and for our students. However, this body continues to focus on a compact group of children and the attacks and abuse against them. …This is what we devote our time and energy to. I’m sorry, but don’t tell me school district officials are coming to you begging for this. Baloney.”
Russo has three school-age children.
“Nobody talked to me about it,” she said. “It’s a made-up problem.”
Republicans say the bill makes sense.
State Rep. Jena Powell, a Republican from Arcanum, said the bathroom bill amendment is likely the most obvious piece of legislation lawmakers will vote on in the next few years.
“It’s easy,” she said. “It’s straightforward. It shouldn’t be complicated.”
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