Ohio Democrats call out GOP for targeting LGBTQ+ people

Ohio Republican lawmakers added anti-LGBTQ+ provisions to their 2025 budget. LGBTQ+ Public library books, local media reports.

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One of the clauses targets gender identities by declaring that the state only recognizes the genders of men and women in official government documents and policies, and declares that two “genders have not changed and are based on basic and indisputable reality.”

Democratic state Sen. Rose Sweeney has questioned both the “continued attacks” on the Ohio LGBTQ+ community and its attempts to enact de facto law without a vote to approve the proposal.

“I ask why they feel the need to put this in the state’s budget,” Sweeney said of the anti-LGBTQ+ regulations. cleveland.com Report. “They should put in independent bills so that people can testify that they agree or oppose some of the law.”

House Finance Committee Chair Brian Stewart said the provision recognizes only two genders as a measure of “common sense.”

“It’s federal law and that’s common sense,” Rep. Brian Stewart told reporters Tuesday. Columbus dispatch Report. “It’s like we codified it in the law and put this behind us. It’s like saying the world is round, not flat.”

He added that if given, the provision will become the state’s “override standard.”

Other provisions are reportedly reflect similar laws passed in other states or administrative orders issued by Pres. Donald Trump. Defining gender identity as “a subjective sense of self separated from biological reality,” while another person limits the placement of LGBTQ-themed books in public libraries to prevent young people from looking or checking them. Another provision prohibits unauthorized flags, such as Pride flags.

The provision comes in response to the legislative response to the $61 billion 2025-2026 budget proposed by Republican Gov. Mike DeWine. Republican lawmakers cut 1 billion from the budget and reduced the proposed child tax credits, which were funded by tobacco taxes.

“There’s no tax hike in this budget,” Stewart said. Ohio Capital Journal Report. “We are not raising taxes on sports betting, marijuana and tobacco products.

Republicans opposed the new taxes on the budget, but approved the sale of bonds to build a new dome stadium to provide $400 million to the Cleveland Browns NFL football franchise.