1. United States
2. Ohio
3. Letter

Please stop the attacks on LGBTQ youth and vote against HB 693 which seeks to dismantle local LGBTQ+ protections, and fosters an unsafe environment for queer youth in the state's child welfare system.  LGBTQ+ advocates, child welfare professionals, and opponents argue that voting against HB 693 is necessary for the following reasons:  1. Protection of LGBTQ+ Youth and Child Welfare  • Encourages Rejection: the proposed bill protects parents who reject their children's gender identity, which can lead to increased trauma and mental health crises for trans youth. • Endangers Children in Care: the bill prevents child welfare agencies from properly identifying safe, affirming homes for LGBTQ+ children, forcing them into households that may not accept them. • Redefines Abuse/Neglect: the bill prohibits courts from treating a parent's refusal to affirm a child's gender identity as abuse or neglect.  2. Overturns Local Protections and Bans Conversion Therapy  • Undermines Local Rules: HB 693 would strike down local ordinances in cities like Cleveland, Akron, and Columbus that have banned conversion therapy for minors. • Promotes Harmful Practices: the bill creates a "slippery slope" that protects parents who subject their children to conversion therapy, a practice deemed ineffective by the American Psychological Association.  3. Impact on Schools and Professionals • Targets Education: The legislation bars schools from disciplining teachers who refuse to use a student's preferred name or pronouns. • Limits Professional Action: It threatens the ability of state-licensed professionals to support transgender youth and prohibits agencies from using materials that characterize non-affirmation as harmful.  4. Ideological Overreach • "Culture War" Legislation: the bill is an attempt by lawmakers to insert "anti-LGBTQ language and ideology" into family law, rather than focusing on the best interests of the child. • Unprecedented Scope: It is described as the most thorough, first-of-its-kind legislation of its kind, designed to dismantle LGBTQ+ support systems across state, local, and educational levels.  Organizations like Equality Ohio and TransOhio have called for a "no" vote on the bill, describing it as "blatantly transphobic" and an "attack on autonomy".  Thank you in advance for your no vote and commitment to the rights of all children in Ohio.