As anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric continues to appear in campaign ads, one national group says the November election will be an essential test for the country.
According to a report prepared by the Organization for LGBTQ+ Victory Fundwhich tracks candidates and elected officials across the country who identify as such.
The report shows that of over 1,000 candidates, 668 are taking part in the November ballot across the country. While this amount represents a 1.1% boost over the 2020 election season, Orie Gives IV, the fund’s vice president of communications, said that “we are still grossly underrepresented.”
The report found that every state except Nebraska had LGBTQ+ candidates.
Ohio is represented by 17 candidates. The Ohio State Board of Education was listed as one of 34 statewide races with LGBTQ+ candidates. If elected, candidate David Donofrio will be Ohio’s first non-LGBTQ+ board member, according to Sean Meloy, vice president of political programs for the fund.
Given that the fund found that more than $21 million was spent on “anti-transgender spending in the presidential race alone,” and approximately $100 million was spent specifically on “anti-transgender attacks” in Senate races such as U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown’s Ohio against GOP candidate Bernie Moreno.
“I think it’s important to see many transgender, non-binary and gender non-conforming candidates running across the country as an antidote to this rhetoric,” Gives said during a news conference announcing the fund’s research.
Meloy said there have been anti-LGBTQ+ messages in the past and LGBTQ+ candidates have “persevered” despite those messages. But spending specifically on transgender issues will be a litmus test to see whether conservative candidates can win this time using such tactics, he said.
“Now they are trying to dehumanize transgender people and their experience to gain votes,” Meloy said. “It will be interesting to see the overall impact of these anti-trans messages.”
LGBTQ+ legislative support in Ohio
Equality Ohio, a statewide LGBTQ+ advocacy organization, released an assessment of current state legislators based on their legislative actions “impacting LGBTQ+ rights” and broader actions related to issues such as criminal justice and education.
They found that the “marked increase in polarization,” leading to a decline in the number of “intermediate-level” legislators, “reflects a growing climate of political extremism, particularly regarding issues affecting the LGBTQ+ community,” according to them latest legislative scorecard.
“Hostility toward LGBTQ+ Ohioans has increased dramatically this legislative session, including a surge in legislation targeting transgender Ohioans and lawmakers’ willingness to unwaveringly and unilaterally support or oppose LGBTQ+ and related legislation along partisan lines,” the charter analysis said results .
In the Ohio Senate, 14 of 33 state senators received a failing grade, which counts them on the scorecard as “the driving force behind anti-LGBTQ+ legislation in Ohio.”
All those who received a grade of “C” or lower were Republicans.
Only six senators received an “A” rating, signifying “strong support for LGBTQ+ equality and justice in Ohio and intersectional issues.”
In the Ohio House, 30 of 99 representatives received a failing grade and 32 received an “A” grade.
Republican Jamie Callender was the only representative from his party in the state to receive an “A” grade. No other Republican received a grade higher than a “C.”
The way forward
According to the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund, ballot initiatives can be seen as a stepping stone in LGBTQ+ politics, including in Ohio, where Issue 1 redistricting reform could open the door to representation and policy reform, and support for initiatives like marijuana legalization could energize LGBTQ+ voters.
“When it comes to democracy and marijuana, this could absolutely be helpful for our candidates and increase the chances of lower tickets in several of these states,” Meloy said.
In Ohio, if “yes” votes prevail, the Ohio Redistricting Commission’s No. 1 elected officials – including the governor, auditor, secretary of state and legislative leaders of both parties – will replace a 15-member citizen redistricting commission vetted and elected by bipartisan judicial panel. The commission would consist of five Republicans, five Democrats and five independents.
Meloy said approving a ballot initiative like Ohio’s could create an environment in which more LGBTQ+ candidates feel that elected office is accessible.
In 2021, the fund created a “toolkit” on redistricting and its impact on the LGBTQ+ community.
“Making sure our LGBTQ+ community is covered is critically important to pave the way for our community leaders to be represented in the policy debates that will shape our future,” the fund said in the toolkit.
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