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By Dominic Detwiler on June 15, 2021 in Blog
Today, we submitted testimony on SB182, which will reform Ohio’s unjust system of cash bail. The current system has left countless individuals stuck in jail for years, even before their trial, not because of anything they did, but because they couldn’t afford to pay the bail set by the courts. Because these long pre-trial detentions are based on the inability to pay, people of color and LGBTQ+ people disproportionately experience the dangerous knock-on effects of Ohio’s cash bail system. SB182 and companion legislation in the House, HB315, are important steps as we seek to create a more equitable and just legal system in Ohio.
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By Dominic Detwiler on March 4, 2021 in Blog
This morning, a bipartisan, bicameral group of Ohio legislators announced that they are reintroducing the Ohio Fairness Act at the Ohio Statehouse, joined by faith leaders, community advocates, and over 1,000 businesses across the state demanding we protect LGBTQ+ Ohioans from discrimination.
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By Dominic Detwiler on February 5, 2021 in Blog
The 134th General Assembly is only a month old, and extreme anti-LGBTQ+ lawmakers have already begun their attacks on transgender youth. This morning, Representatives Jena Powell and Reggie Stoltzfus reintroduced their blanket ban on transgender athletes in high school and college sports. In the face of an ongoing pandemic and calls for meaningful criminal justice reform, Reps. Powell (R-Arcanum) and Stoltzfus (R-Paris Township) wasted no time in bringing back this incredibly dangerous and discriminatory bill.
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By Dominic Detwiler on February 4, 2021 in Blog
Today, members of the Ohio Senate, led by Senators Nickie Antonio (D-Lakewood) and Tina Maharath (D-Canal Winchester), introduced SB 50, which would prohibit the fraudulent and dangerous practice of attempting to change a young person’s sexual orientation or gender identity, sometimes called “conversion therapy” or “reparative therapy”.
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By Dominic Detwiler on January 25, 2021 in Blog
Today, President Biden issued an Executive Order reversing the Trump administration’s policy banning transgender Americans from openly serving in the U.S. military. We celebrate this renewed reflection of equality as […]
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By Dominic Detwiler on January 7, 2021 in Blog
We, like so many, are in shock at the terrorist attacks of the past twenty-four hours that sought to undermine our democracy.
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By Dominic Detwiler on December 28, 2020 in Blog
Last week, the Queer Partnership for Black Liberation, a group of Black LGBTQ+ leaders in Columbus sent a letter to Columbus Mayor, Andrew Ginther in response to the murder of Andre Hill by Columbus Division of Police officer, Adam Coy.
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By Dominic Detwiler on December 23, 2020 in Blog
For years, LGBTQ+ people have been involuntary victims of various political conflicts, and unfortunately, the Ohio Fairness Act suffered that same fate this General Assembly. Despite knowing that they had the support they needed to pass the Ohio Fairness Act, these leaders let politics prevent the Legislature from doing what is right for Ohio in Lame Duck.
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By Dominic Detwiler on December 3, 2020 in Blog
Today, the Ohio House Primary & Secondary Education Committee held a sponsor testimony hearing on HB527, which seeks to ban transgender athletes from high school and college athletics. The bill, sponsored by Representatives Jane Powell and Reggie Stoltzfus, is one of the most extreme legislative attacks on transgender Ohioans that we have seen. Today, those Representatives were given an opportunity to share their anti-transgender rhetoric with the committee and the state.
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By Dominic Detwiler on November 12, 2020 in Blog
One week after one of the most important presidential elections of our lifetimes, we have a clear winner. Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Kamala Harris are now President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris.
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By Dominic Detwiler on November 5, 2020 in Blog
We made it. Voting in the 2020 Election has finally concluded, and Ohioans’ voices have been heard. There’s a lot to talk about and a lot we still don’t know yet, but Equality Ohio’s policy team has been up with you through the past 48 hours to help figure out just what happened and how it will impact LGBTQ+ Ohioans.
As a reminder, Equality Ohio is a non-partisan organization that does not endorse candidates or parties. We do have an Elected Official Scorecard that graded candidates for President and Vice President, as well as incumbent members of the Ohio Legislature. We’ll use those grades a lot in this analysis.
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By Dominic Detwiler on October 22, 2020 in Blog
Equality Ohio stands firmly in solidarity with those demanding police accountability in Columbus and urges a Yes vote on Issue 2 as part of the ongoing dialogue and process to increase police accountability.
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By Dominic Detwiler on September 30, 2020 in Blog
Right now, as people are facing job loss and evictions due to COVID-19, it is more important than ever to ensure that those experiencing homelessness have access to shelters and other services. The last thing we should be doing is taking those resources away.
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By Dominic Detwiler on September 10, 2020 in Blog
Our 2020 Elected Official Scorecard is ready to help you prepare to vote this November! It grades current members of the Ohio General Assembly, as well as candidates for President […]
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By Dominic Detwiler on July 16, 2020 in Blog
Today, Representative Tavia Galonski (D-Akron) and 29 of her colleagues introduced HB729, which will permanently designate June as Pride Month in Ohio. Designating Pride Month would be an important first […]
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By Dominic Detwiler on June 24, 2020 in Blog
Today, the Ohio Senate Committee on Health, Human Services, and Medicaid is holding a second hearing on SCR 14, which will designate racism as a public health crisis. We submitted […]
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By Dominic Detwiler on April 30, 2020 in Blog
The 2020 Ohio Primary Election is officially over. Due to complications from the coronavirus, the election originally scheduled for March 17th was moved to an (almost) entirely vote-by-mail system with […]
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By Dominic Detwiler on April 28, 2020 in Blog
I don’t have to tell you that the last several weeks have been difficult. Every day we are posed with new challenges to our routine way of life, and the […]
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By Dominic Detwiler on April 2, 2020 in Blog
COVID-19 has brought dramatic changes to our lives and our government. One of the major impacts the pandemic has had here in Ohio is on our primary election. Scheduled for […]
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By Dominic Detwiler on March 11, 2020 in Blog
This week, Ohio legislators are again using their bully pulpit to attack transgender Ohioans. This time, they’re going after transgender women and girls who participate in sports. The bill attempts […]
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By Dominic Detwiler on October 14, 2019 in Blog
Last week, 30 members of the Ohio House of Representatives introduced a bill to officially designate October 11th as Coming Out Day. This bill is an exciting opportunity for the […]
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By Dominic Detwiler on March 29, 2019 in Blog
International Transgender Day of Visibility (TDOV) is a celebration of transgender and gender non-conforming people. We celebrate their courage and strength to live as their authentic selves, despite the great […]
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By Dominic Detwiler on February 7, 2019 in Legal Clinic
We are excited to welcome Emily Meyer and Andy Dugan to the Equality Ohio family as Staff Attorneys for the new Equality Ohio Legal Clinic. Emily and Andy will traveling […]
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By Dominic Detwiler on November 13, 2018 in Blog
Tuesday’s election results brought a flood of emotions for LGBTQ people and their allies across the country. We’ve taken the last few days to process, analyze, and strategize. Our conclusion: […]
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By Dominic Detwiler on November 12, 2018 in Uncategorized
The Ohio Civil Rights Commission (OCRC) is tasked with responding to and resolving complaints of discrimination. People submit complaints for a variety of different types of discrimination, such as race, […]
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By Dominic Detwiler on November 2, 2018 in Blog
With over half of the Ohio Senate up for reelection this season, LGBTQ Ohioans and their allies have the opportunity to dramatically shift the dialogue in Columbus from questions of […]
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By Dominic Detwiler on October 30, 2018 in Blog
Voters in Ohio have huge decisions to make this election season, but some of the most important decisions are made by individuals at the bottom of the ballot. Members of […]
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By Dominic Detwiler on October 17, 2018 in Blog
The statewide portion of the scorecard is the only section where we place candidates’ records on LGBTQ issues head to head to show what often are major differences in their […]
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By Dominic Detwiler on October 12, 2018 in Blog
The scorecard that you see in front of you today is the result of three months of research (and gallons of coffee). There are many important elected official scorecards. This […]
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By Dominic Detwiler on October 10, 2018 in Blog
After several months of poring over voting records, newspaper archives, and social media accounts, we are proud to present Equality Ohio’s Inaugural Elected Official Scorecard. Ohio’s LGBTQ community has long […]
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