(Upper Sandusky) On January 24, 2024, Ohio Representative Riordan McClain issued a press release after the Ohio Senate joined the House in overriding Govenor DeWine’s veto of House Bill 68, popularly referred to as the “Anti-trans bill”, and wherein he applauded the decision by the Senate. HB68 becomes law in 90 days.

“I’m proud to stand with my colleagues and override the Governor on this tough, moral question of our day,” said McClain. “We have made it clear where the legislature stands on this issue.”

Craig Swartz , Democratic candidate running against McClain in the General Election this November, had this to say about McClain’s remarks and the Ohio GOP’s position on individual healthcare in general.

“My opponent is once again telling everyone in the 87th District and Ohioans at large that their gerrymandered guaranteed grab on Ohio politics is so secure that they can impose their moralistic view on us all at will. We need not worry for our children anymore because our brave Republican legislators know exactly what’s best for them right down to how they should conduct themselves in the privacy of their own home and among their respective families.”

Mr. Swartz continued, “HB68 was initiated by Ohio Republicans last year as part of their ongoing campaign against the most vulnerable populations such as the LGBTQ+ community, African-American women and even the disabled. Last year’s Republican high-jinks against everyone else except white males includes trying to ban abortions and any modicum of women’s reproductive health care practically outright and allowing over 400,000 people to come off of Medicaid without recourse, and that includes disabled children and adults.”

Mr. Swartz pointed out in McClain’s press release that it stated “The legislation aims to protect girls from competing with biological boys in athletic competitions. It also seeks to prevent children under the age of 18 from receiving experimental, life-altering medical treatments for gender dysphoria.” Mr. Swartz said that this legislation is aimed at less than 1% of Ohio’s population (6 actual cases), and that no child under 18 has undergone surgery in Ohio for gender dysphoria. In fact, throughout the entire testimony offered on HB68, expert after expert testified against this bill, and the only counter Republicans offered were non-expert testimony mostly based on religiously biased views.

Mr. Swartz said, “My opponent states that ‘children are battling gender dysphoria’ and treats like it’s some of sort of disease, which just demonstrates their total lack of understanding this issue and explains their dismissal of expert testimony and total reliance on ignorance, myth and lies.”

Mr. Swartz added, “You don’t have take my word for it, listen to Dr. Carl Streed, President of the U.S. Professional Association for Transgender Health had to say in today’s Ohio Capital Journal”; ‘Lawmakers who don’t listen to the best medical practice are causing harm to their constituents,” he said. “The reason that legislators are focused on this is, that for them, they see it as a winning topic to distract from the fact that they don’t know how to govern on any other issue.’

Ohio Republicans over the past twenty years have moved away significantly from their own core conservative views which are centered around the twin ideas of individual self-reliance and limited government oversight over such self-reliant individuals. Instead, Ohio has a super-majority in the General Assembly fixated on imposing their moral worldview on the rest of us, and in the meantime, not pass one meaningful piece of legislation during the whole year that would really help all Ohioans.