Ohio’s controversial ban on transgender treatment of children and trans athletes in youth sports may go into effect after a judge on Tuesday dismissed a lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union.
The bill, originally passed by the Ohio House of Representatives and Senate on December 13, 2023, makes it illegal for healthcare professionals in Ohio to perform gender reassignment surgery or prescribe puberty blockers to patients under 18.
Transgender athletes are also prohibited from participating in organized sports as a gender other than the one they were assigned at birth.
Exceptions can be made in very specific emergency cases or for minors with pre-existing medical conditions.
Ohio Republican Governor Mike DeWine vetoed the bill because he feared it would harm transgender youth more than others.
However, Republicans have an overwhelming majority in both houses of the state Congress. DeWine’s veto was overridden in late January.
However, the ACLU immediately filed a lawsuit, delaying the law’s entry into force.
Franklin County Court of Common Pleas Judge Michael Holbrook, who had initially put the law on hold, later dismissed the lawsuit and upheld the bill.
His ruling puts Ohio’s trans ban law into effect – but the ACLU has announced it will appeal the decision.
Allison Russo, minority leader in the Ohio House of Representatives, called the court’s decision “troubling” in an official statement.
“House Democrats are committed to the well-being of all children. They put people first and continue to oppose laws that restrict the freedom of all Ohioans to be themselves and get the health care they need,” she said.
Doctors who violate the new law face the loss of their license to practice medicine; sports clubs and schools that violate the law may lose important state funding.
Ohio joins other US states such as Tennessee and Arkansas that have already enacted similar laws.
