While transgender Ohioans and their allies lament Ohio Governor Mike DeWine’s signing a law banning the utilize of toilets for transgender people even though 10,000 Ohioans reportedly urged him not to do it, Republicans are celebrating.
Last week, DeWine signed Senate Bill 104, which bans transgender students from using school bathrooms and locker rooms corresponding to their gender identity in schools and universities. This includes public universities, community colleges, technical colleges, and private nonprofit and for-profit vocational colleges. The law goes into effect on February 24, but the ACLU of Ohio said that “is carefully considering next steps.”
“Transgender people are part of the fabric of Ohio; our families, our workplaces and our neighborhoods,” the ACLU of Ohio said in a statement. “Every Ohioan deserves the freedom to be loved, safe, trusted with health care decisions and have access to amenities consistent with their gender identity.”
TransOhio says more than 10,000 people have contacted DeWine, urging him to veto the bill.
“This is a travesty of justice and equality and a stain on this state,” TransOhio said in a statement statement. “Our transgender students and teachers deserve much better.”
TransOhio urges people to continue to advocate for the state legislature.
“We must hold the line and bear witness to the damage these lawmakers are doing with their prioritization extremist ideology above the needs of its constituents,” Trans Ohio said in a statement. “None of the atrocities coming from the Legislature will happen quietly.”
The Kalejdoskop Youth Center called this legal act absurd.
“The legislature is playing games and it is our young people who will suffer,” the Kaleidoskop Youth Center said in a statement statement. “This isn’t a game.” KYC is the state’s only group dedicated exclusively to supporting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth and their allies.
The American Medical Association officially opposes policies that prevent transgender people from accessing indispensable social services and public facilities consistent with their gender identity.
The Ohio Education Association was disappointed that DeWine signed the bathroom bill.
“SB 104 adds more state regulations that interfere with local control of public schools, discriminates against an already marginalized class of students, and fails to provide funds to cover school facility costs that may be associated with implementing the Act’s requirements” – OEA President Scott DiMauro – wrote in the statement.
DeWine signed SB 104 without comment the day before Thanksgiving.
The Ohio State University said it was too early to talk about specific consequences for their campuses.
“We are reviewing the legislation, will comply with it, and are committed to creating a supportive environment for all members of our community,” university spokesman Ben Johnson said in an email.
What Republicans say
As the father of two teenage daughters, Lt. Gov. Jon Husted said he appreciated DeWine signing the bill.
“It’s unbelievable that we’ve reached the point where we need to have laws in place to keep young women safe in school bathrooms, but unfortunately that’s the reality in our society right now” – Husted – wrote in the statement. “This commonsense bill ensures student privacy and safety, protects children, and provides peace of mind for families across the state.”
State Reps. Beth Lear, R-Galena, and Adam Bird, R-New Richmond – lawmakers who introduced the bathroom bill that was ultimately included in Senate Bill 104 – thanked DeWine for signing the bill.
“We are grateful that people will not have to worry about members of the opposite sex entering restrooms, locker rooms and locker rooms in Ohio,” Bird said in a statement.
“The Protect All Students Act will protect our children from contact with the opposite sex in private spaces,” Lear said in a statement.
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost also thanked DeWine for signing SB 104 into law.
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