I firmly believe it is immoral and tarnishes the reputation of the state of Ohio.
House Bill 68 will drive Ohio families to Michigan and Pennsylvania
Rick Colby says families he knows are preparing to leave Ohio and move to Michigan and Pennsylvania if Gov. Mike DeWine’s veto of House Bill 68 is overridden.
Ben Huelskamp (he/she) is the Executive Director of LOVEboldly. He lives in Central Ohio and is also a pastor and author.
It’s hard to put into words the mix of emotions I felt when I learned that a judge had cleared the way for a law that would both ban gender-affirming services for transgender youth and bar transgender athletes from participating in school sports.
I will try.
When I read the verdict on August 6, burning anger clouded my mind and cold sadness filled my heart.
The Franklin County Court of Common Pleas recently ruled in favor of the state in a lawsuit challenging the passage and implementation of House Bill 68 (Saving Adolescents from Experimentation Act).
In addition, the court lifted the preliminary injunction against the bill, allowing it to come into force immediately.
This order restricts gender-affirming care for transgender minors and prohibits transgender girls and women in the state of Ohio from participating in women’s sports competitions at all levels from elementary school to collegiate athletics.
More: Ohio could displace my family like Missouri did. Anti-trans law must be stopped
I have publicly fought against this bill, testified against it during its journey through the Ohio General Assembly, mourned its initial passage, celebrated Governor Mike DeWine’s logical and well-considered veto, and in turn mourned the Legislature’s overturn of that veto.
House Bill 68 is evil and does evil
I have spent a lot of time educating people about House Bill 68 and explaining why the arguments in favor of it are unscientific and pose a danger not only to trans youth and young adults, but to all trans people.
Look, not only do I know that HB 68 is ill-informed, problematic on many levels, and transphobic.
I firmly believe it is immoral and tarnishes the reputation of the state of Ohio.
Whether because HB 68 was supported and championed by Rep. Gary Click (R-Vickery), an ordained minister and pastor, or because the testimony of both supporters and opponents was filled with religious and spiritual voices, the ongoing battle over HB 68 has taken on a distinctly religious character.
My faith obliges me to raise my voice, even if I am not personally affected by the new law.
Many other progressive faith and spiritual leaders from all religious and ethical traditions have felt the same call, something from outside of us, that moves us to declare that this law is an attack on our religious, moral and ethical principles and on our faith and spirituality.
We were and continue to be moved to say what should be clear: that HB 68 is evil and does evil.
While scriptural writers over the centuries have incorporated elements of their own culture and context into our sacred texts, often using the pronouns “he/him/his” for God, my Christian tradition consistently teaches that God is greater than any human imagination.
Interestingly, and up to this point, when God created mankind, he referred to himself as “us” (Genesis 1:26).
As we continue to debate and argue about gender-affirming care, who gets to compete on which sports teams, who gets to use which bathrooms, and what pronouns individuals are allowed to use, my faith tells me that God, who self-referentially uses “us,” has always viewed gender as more than a fixed or unchanging characteristic.
We should do that too.
Rev. Dr. Ben Huelskamp is the CEO of LOVEboldly (www.loveboldly.net). He is also pastor of Blue Ocean Faith Columbus (www.blueoceancolumbus.org).
