As Gov. Mike DeWine looks over the two-year state budget that Republican lawmakers approved and sent on to him this week, advocates for LGBTQ Ohioans are urging him to veto a half dozen provisions.
The budget includes language introduced by the House GOP that "establishes state policy recognizing only two sexes, male and female, which are not changeable and are grounded in fundamental and incontrovertible reality." Dwayne Stewart with the LGTBQ rights group Equality Ohio said does not include intersex people and will allow swaths of Ohioans to be written out of state law.
"There's 274 areas within the Ohio Revised Code that mention the word "sex" and all of those would have to be reviewed, which would also create a huge administrative burden for the state," Steward said.
Steward also has a problem with a provision that libraries restrict access by kids under 18 to material related to sexual orientation or gender identity or expression. The Ohio Library Council has said this language is overly broad and vague, verges on censorship and is likely unconstitutional. Some library systems said implementing it would take years and cost millions of dollars.
Other provisions of the budget ban state dollars from going to youth shelters that help LGBTQ kids, state properties from flying Pride flags, and menstrual products from men’s restrooms.
Steward said he's very concerned about language in the budget that prevents Medicaid funds from being used for mental health providers who support social gender transition.
"Mental health care is a high need within LGBTQ communities, within the transgender community, and this would exacerbate many mental health concerns within the trans community and will directly lead to an increase in suicides among that community," Steward said.
Steward said the LGBTQ community is being picked on in this budget: "legislators are using this budget as a culture war."
Steward said he's cautiously optimistic DeWine might decide to veto some of these provisions.
“We have been helpful before and sadly, have not seen any change," Steward said. "But we are not going to stop fighting and it is important right now – our community is standing up to let these legislators know that they cannot legislate us out of existence."
DeWine has vetoed provisions in past budgets. He hasn't said whether he would veto any elements of this budget.
