Ohio legislator working to pass legislation against LGBT discrimination

Could the tenth time be the charm?

A bill that would extend civil rights protections to LGBTQ Ohioans has been introduced in the Ohio General Assembly 10 times, but supporters of the Ohio Fairness Act believe this may be their best shot to date.

"I really am optimistic," said Sen. Nickie Antonio (D-Lakewood), who is a sponsor of the Senate version of the bill.

"And I think that we've never seen as much bipartisan support for the bill right now," said Antonio, who is the only openly gay member of the state legislature. She has tried and failed to pass an LGBTQ non-discrimination law for the last decade, but for the first time, there is bipartisan support from Republicans for bills in both the House and the Senate.

The bill would prohibit discrimination against LGBTQ Ohioans in the workplace, housing, education, and public accommodations, such as stores and restaurants, just like current Ohio laws protect citizens based on age, sex, gender, religion and more.

As it stands, Ohio is one of 29 states with no LGBTQ anti-discrimination laws, however, Cuyahoga County and 35 municipalities-- such as Cleveland and Akron-- have passed their own laws to make LGBTQ discrimination illegal.

Antonio believes that enacting such a law statewide is the right thing to do, but that it also makes economic sense for Ohio.

[ConstellationEternalLucidDream]

This is when they’ll finally understand that kids aren’t dumb. They sometimes are far more emotionally intelligent than many adults. This kid was bullied by a principal.

[chipsydanger]

This would imped our first amendment rights and she called the trans person a girl