COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Ohio House voted to override Gov. Mike DeWine's veto on legislation that would ban gender-affirming care from transgender youth and prohibit trans students from participating in athletics on teams that align with their identity.
The House voted 65 to 28 to override the veto, with five members not voting.
The override now gets sent to the Senate, which will likely override in late Jan. It would then go into effect 90 days later.
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The House has voted to override the gov.’s veto on HB68, banning gender affirming care for trans youth. It now goes to the Senate for vote. If the Senate agrees, the bill will go into effect 90 days later.@WEWS @WCPO @OhioCapJournal https://t.co/zdk9IkvRf1 pic.twitter.com/PdE7WVQQQC
— Morgan Trau (@MorganTrau) January 10, 2024
At 16 years old, Parker never wanted to go to the Statehouse to protest, but he said he had to.
"It takes away my rights, and I want to be here to protect them," Parker said.
It would ban trans youth, like him, from accessing gender-affirming care.
The bill would prohibit gender-affirming care for trans and nonbinary youth, including hormone blockers, hormone replacement therapy (HRT), medical or surgical procedures and some mental health services. In addition to banning gender-affirming care for trans children, it would prohibit trans athletes from taking part in women's sports.
He was feeling cautiously optimistic when DeWine vetoed it.
"I knew it wasn't going to stop there," Parker said.
The House debated for more than an hour on the floor. Then, all Republicans present voted in favor. When it was passing the House originally, Republican state Reps. Jamie Callender (Concord) and Brett Hillyer (Uhrichsville) voted against it. During the override vote, Callender didn't show and Hillyer voted in favor of overriding.
"While I believe that biological males shouldn’t compete in girls sports, and that irreversible elective sex change surgeries shouldn’t be performed pre-puberty, this bill had many other elements that I couldn’t vote for when it was on the floor," Callender told News 5. "I support the Governor’s veto and couldn’t vote to override it."
Parker's mom Betty believes trans kids aren’t welcome in Ohio — and now, Parker won't be able to get the health care he needs.
"It's going to uproot us immensely and it is all consuming at this time," Betty said. "We probably can't stay here, and that's the hard part for us."
H.B. 68 was introduced by state Rep. Gary Click (R-Vickery). Lawmakers in favor of the bill argue that trans teens don’t know what they really want, and their parents and doctors are pressured to approve of this healthcare.
The bill was originally two separate ones, but were put together since they both address transgender children. Bill sponsor Jena Powell (R-Arcanum) said the law also prevents families from making decisions before the child knows who they are.
"Unfortunately, the governor put profit above women in our state," Powell told News 5. "We want to see the override happen here in the Ohio House to protect women and children."
She added a ban on trans students from participating in athletics that align with their gender identity.
"When a parent tells their little girl, that you can be anything you want to be and you have the ability to thrive in your state in athletics, little girls will now be able to actually do that," Powell said.
About five trans student-athletes are competing in middle and high school in the state. None have won any awards for sports.
This is preventative, Powell said, to stop it from happening in the future.
Parker is asking the lawmakers to stop making laws against a community they don't understand.
"I think they're scared because they don't know who we are," he said.
DeWine issued the following statement regarding the override:
"I continue to believe it is in the best interests of children for these medical decisions to be made by the child’s parents and not by the government."
The override now goes to the Senate, which won't be taking it up until Jan. 24. If they pass the override, the legislation goes into effect 90 days later. In the Senate, the only Republican to vote no was state Sen. Nathan Manning (R-North Ridgeville).
DeWine on Friday issued an executive order prohibiting gender-affirming surgeries on minors in Ohio and set forth draft administrative rules around gender-affirming care in minors and adults one week after he vetoed House Bill 68.
When DeWine vetoed the bill last month, he said: “Were House Bill 68 to become law, Ohio would be saying that the state, that the government, knows better what is medically best for a child better than the two people who love the child the most - the parents. I cannot sign this bill as it was currently written and just a few minutes ago, I vetoed the bill.”
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