Ohio Senate overrides governor’s veto of transgender care restriction

The Ohio Senate voted Wednesday to override Republican Gov. Mike DeWine’s veto of a bill that bans transition-related medical care for transgender minors and restricts trans athletes’ participation on school sports teams.

After the Senate’s 23-9vote,the bill will become law in 90 days. The Ohio House already voted 65-28, along party lines, to override DeWine’s veto earlier this month.

Ohio is now the 22nd state with a law that restricts minors’ access to puberty blockers and hormone therapy and the 24th with a law that bars trans girls and women from playing on women’s school sports teams.

Health care providers who violate the law could face disciplinary action from their licensing board. The law also allows students in K-12 schools and colleges who believe they have been deprived of an athletic opportunity because of a trans student’s participation to sue their school, school district, interscholastic body or other related organization.

Dara Adkison, secretary of the board for the transgender advocacy group TransOhio, said some trans people and their families have been “in crisis” before the vote. The group offers emergency funding and relocation assistance for families with trans kids who want to leave the state. Adkison, who uses they/them pronouns, said in a phone call Tuesday that they talked to 68 families and seven trans adults in the days leading up to the vote who requested emergency relocation funds and planned to leave the state due to the law and the political climate.

“Their government is forcing them to uproot their lives,” Adkison said. “They’re selling their homes, they’re changing jobs and careers and closing out all of their savings. They’re closing their businesses, they’re leaving their medical