Ohio has joined 19 other Republican-dominated states in a lawsuit over the Biden administration’s extension of protections to halt discrimination against LGBTQ people.
Attorney General Dave Yost says in a statement that the case is not about the policy, it’s about power, and that the Biden administration is "inventing sweeping laws outside the process mandated by our Constitution". Alana Jochum with Equality Ohio says the suit suggests a mixed message, since one of Gov. Mike DeWine’s first actions was an executive order protecting LGBTQ state workers.
“Ohio should be sending one clear signal that we are welcoming and embracing of all. And yes, the attorney general is pushing Ohio down a wrong path. Frankly, the complaint is insulting.”
Republicans in the Statehouse and nationally have pushed for laws banning transgender girls in school sports, but a bipartisan anti-LGBTQ discrimination bill has support from many Ohio business groups.