Dear Reader,
Welcome to our first Elected Official Scorecard. Equality Ohio is committed to building a state that all people, regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity or expression, can call home. We work to be a voice for progress and lived equality for LGBTQ Ohioans––and this scorecard is part of that work.
This legislative session has been a busy one for Equality Ohio. We have seen our biggest and most ambitious push yet for the Ohio Fairness Act (HB160 and SB100), which would add “sexual orientation” and “gender identity or expression” to the laws that make discrimination illegal. That’s right––in most parts of Ohio, you can be legally fired, kicked out of an apartment, or denied basic goods and services just because of who you are or whom you love.
While pushing hard for the Ohio Fairness Act, we have had to hold the line and defend against attacks on LGBTQ Ohioans, including the Pastor Protection Act (HB36), which would give a license to discriminate to undefined “religious societies,” and HB658, which would require teachers and other school staff to “out” children expressing gender nonconformity. Thankfully, HB658 is receiving national backlash. We remain vigilant for any potential legislation that threatens Ohio’s LGBTQ community.
This scorecard is our inaugural, comprehensive look at how these bills, good and bad, come to be and move through the legislature. It is intended to give you a sense of who your State Representatives and Senators are––the very people who have a direct impact on LGBTQ policy in the state, be it positive or negative. Ratings for members of the Ohio House and Senate are based on LGBTQ-related statements and actions from the current General Assembly, while ratings of statewide candidates are based on the statements and actions of the candidates throughout their careers.
Thank you for all that you do to further our vision of legal and lived equality. Your support is vital to our work. When you go to the polls this year, it is our hope that you will use the information in this scorecard to be as knowledgeable as possible about your State Representatives, Senators, and candidates for statewide offices. Together, as LGBTQ-identifying people and allies, we must make sure that the people who represent us do so with LGBTQ equality in mind.
Sincerely,
Alana Jochum
SCORING METHODOLOGY FOR STATEWIDE CANDIDATES
Statewide candidates were scored by examining their respective careers in the public eye as it relates to LGBTQ issues. These scores are based on recorded actions and public statements by each candidate regarding LGBTQ-specific issues, including votes on LGBTQ-related legislation while serving in a legislative body, actions taken in administrative roles, responses to questionnaires distributed by various Ohio publications, public statements via social and traditional media outlets, and various organizational endorsements. Scoring rationale can be found below each grade. Scores for Governor and Lieutenant Governor are listed together because they appear as a single ticket item on the general election ballot.
Note that scores for statewide candidates and scores for current members of the Ohio House of Representatives and Senate are not comparable and may be different from each other. Scores for candidates for statewide office are based on the entirety of their respective careers in the public eye, while scores for current members of the Ohio House of Representatives and Ohio Senate are based only on actions taken and statements made within the 132nd General Assembly (since January 2, 2017). Therefore, a current member of the Ohio House of Representatives or Ohio Senate who is running for a statewide office may have a different score in each respective section of the Scorecard.
Mike DeWine (R)
Candidate for Governor
Grade F
Mr. DeWine completed a questionnaire from the Columbus Dispatch released in January of 2018 in which he indicated that he (1) opposes same-sex marriage, (2) opposes the inclusion of sexual orientation and gender identity or expression in Ohio’s nondiscrimination laws, and (3) does not think that transgender or gender fluid students should be allowed to use the restroom matching their gender identity or expression. In an April 2018 Cleveland.com endorsement editorial, DeWine said he would continue Governor Kasich’s executive order banning discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in state employment, but that he would not expand it to include gender identity or expression. In 2003, Mr. DeWine voted in favor of legislation defining marriage as between “one man and one woman." As Attorney General, he opposed marriage equality by actively defending Ohio’s same-sex marriage ban in Obergefell v. Hodges, the case that ultimately made marriage equality the law of the land in Ohio and the country. During Mr. DeWine’s tenure in the United States Senate, he earned scores of 14% (107th Congress), 25% (108th Congress), and 11% (109th Congress) in the Human Rights Campaign’s biannual scorecard.
Jon Husted (R)
Candidate for Lieutenant Governor
Grade D
As a member of the Ohio House of Representatives in 2003, Mr. Husted voted in favor of legislation defining marriage as between “one man and one woman." As Speaker of the House in the 126th Ohio General Assembly, Mr. Husted successfully stopped a bill (HB515) attempting to ban adoption by gay couples proposed in the Ohio House of Representatives.
Richard Cordray (D)
Candidate for Governor
Grade A
In a questionnaire from PRIZM, an Ohio LGBTQ magazine, Mr. Cordray indicated that he (1) supports legislation adding sexual orientation and gender identity or expression to Ohio’s nondiscrimination laws, (2) would like to see transgender Ohioans be allowed to correct the gender marker on their birth certificates, (3) supports a ban on so-called conversion “therapy” on minors, and (4) has advocated for LGBTQ equality throughout his career as a lawyer. In 2016, as Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Mr. Cordray harmonized LGBTQ equality with the implementation of the Equal Credit Opportunity Act in a way which allowed the agency to act upon banning credit discrimination against LGBTQ individuals. He is endorsed by the Human Rights Campaign.
Betty Sutton (D)
Candidate for Lieutenant Governor
Grade A
Ms. Sutton completed a questionnaire from the Columbus Dispatch released in December of 2017 in which she indicated that she (1) supports same-sex marriage, (2) supports the inclusion of sexual orientation and gender identity or expression in Ohio’s nondiscrimination laws, and (3) thinks that transgender and gender fluid students should be allowed to use the restroom that matches their gender identity. During her three terms as a member of the United States House of Representatives, she received scores of 95% (110th Congress), 97% (111th Congress), and 100% (112th Congress) on the Human Rights Campaign’s biannual scorecard. She is endorsed by the Human Rights Campaign.
Frank LaRose (R)
Candidate for Secretary of State
Grade B
In the 130th General Assembly, Senator LaRose was a primary sponsor of the Equal Housing and Employment Act (SB125), a predecessor to the Ohio Fairness Act. During the 2016 Republican National Convention, Mr. LaRose participated in an event focused on LGBTQ equality, Bathrooms and Beyond, in which he discussed issues regarding transgender individuals and bathroom use with Representative Nickie Antonio and local elected leaders. In the 131st and the 132nd General Assembly, Senator LaRose did not serve as either a primary sponsor or as a co-sponsor for the Equal Housing and Employment Act (SB100) introduced by Senator Michael Skindell.
Kathleen Clyde (D)
Candidate for Secretary of State
Grade A
During her career in the Ohio House of Representatives, Representative Clyde has co-sponsored each respective General Assembly’s version of the Ohio Fairness Act (HB160), as well as inclusion of LGBTQ Ohioans in Ohio’s hate crime laws. She voted against the “Pastor Protection Act” (HB36), and she has the endorsement of the Human Rights Campaign.
David Yost (R)
Candidate for Attorney General
Grade C
While serving as Ohio’s Auditor, in an August 2017 keynote address to the Franklin County Republican Party, Mr. Yost referenced the gay rights movement of the 1960s and 1970s in a neutral manner. Other than this statement, Mr. Yost has been largely quiet on LGBTQ-specific issues.
Steve Dettelbach (D)
Candidate for Attorney General
Grade A
Steve Dettelbach defended civil rights as a federal prosecutor and helped develop a dedicated Civil Rights Unit that prosecuted hate crimes—including hate crimes based upon sexual orientation and gender identity or expression—under the Shepard-Byrd Hate Crimes Act. According to a July 2018 article on Cleveland.com, Mr. Dettelbach supports legislation that includes adding crimes against LGBTQ people to Ohio’s hate crimes laws. Mr. Dettelbach commented in support of the Supreme Court of the United States striking down a key portion of the federal Defense of Marriage Act in 2013. He is endorsed by the Human Rights Campaign.
SCORING METHODOLOGY FOR ELECTED OFFICIALS IN THE 132ND OHIO GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Scores for current Ohio State Representatives and Senators were primarily determined through an analysis of votes, sponsorships, and co-sponsorships on LGBTQ-related legislation. All vote counts were found on the official website of the Ohio Legislature,2 and interpretations of each bill as well as why each was selected to be used in this Scorecard are provided in each legislative body’s respective section.
Scores were also influenced by public statements made by State Representatives and State Senators through social media platforms, traditional statements, and as reported by Ohio news outlets with the elected officials’ positions on LGBTQ issues. These statements were identified by reviewing each Member’s public Facebook page(s), Twitter page(s), and campaign websites (where available) as well as by conducting internet searches for news reports of potential statements on LGBTQ issues. Public statement ratings take into consideration various organizational endorsements, including pro-equality groups such as the Human Rights Campaign and anti-equality groups like Citizens for Community Values and Family First. Despite our best efforts and due to the nature of the search engines, we cannot guarantee that every public statement has been accounted for.
Ratings of a State Representative’s or State Senator’s public statements were scored on a scale of -2 (highly anti-equality) to +2 (highly pro-equality). If no public statements or endorsements regarding LGBTQ issues were found for a specific Representative or Senator, the designation ‘NR’ is found in the Member’s ‘Public Statements’ column.
KEY
Red Line: Anti-Equality Bill | Green Line: Pro-Equality Bill | Purple Line: Lesser Ranked Equality Bill | S: Bill Sponsor | CS: Bill Co-Sponsor | Y: Floor Vote Yes on Bill Passage | N: Floor Vote No Bill Passage | DNV: No Floor Vote Cast | NIO: Not in Office at Time of Vote | CY: Committee Vote in Support of Bill Passage | CN: Committee Vote Against Bill Passage | OT: Delivered Opponent Testimony at Committee Hearing
STATEMENT KEY
-2 (Highly Anti-Equality) -1 (Somewhat Anti) 0 (Neutral) +1 (Somewhat Pro) +2 (Highly Pro) NR (No Record)
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KEY
Red Line: Anti-Equality Bill | Green Line: Pro-Equality Bill | Purple Line: Lesser Ranked Equality Bill | S: Bill Sponsor | CS: Bill Co-Sponsor | Y: Floor Vote Yes on Bill Passage | N: Floor Vote No Bill Passage | DNV: No Floor Vote Cast | NIO: Not in Office at Time of Vote | CY: Committee Vote in Support of Bill Passage | CN: Committee Vote Against Bill Passage | OT: Delivered Opponent Testimony at Committee Hearing
STATEMENT KEY
-2 (Highly Anti-Equality) -1 (Somewhat Anti) 0 (Neutral) +1 (Somewhat Pro) +2 (Highly Pro) NR (No Record)
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