Dear Business Leaders,

Yesterday was beyond disheartening as legislators put politics over the safety of some of our most vulnerable children. The Senate passed an amended HB 68, and the House concurred. We applaud that lawmakers from both sides of the aisle voted no, but it was not enough to prevent passage.

We still have hope to block this from becoming law, but we have to act NOW.

Please email Gov. DeWine now and tell him that HB 68 is bad public policy. It’s bad for children, for our families, and for our ability to attract and retain talent in our state. We have a choice about who we want to be as a state; HB 68 does not align with our values.

Here is a sample text to personalize for your email to the Governor:

I am a business leader, and I urge you to veto HB 68, which would ban clinical best practices by prohibiting affirming healthcare to transgender youth and would ban transgender athletes from participating in sports. This bill harms Ohio’s youth and families—people who make up our workforce and whom we are trying to attract and retain as part of our workforce. 

We are already seeing an exodus of LGBTQ+ and ally young adults who are seeking a more welcoming place to call home. Families of school-age children are making plans to leave Ohio in order to access essential medical care. HB68 is modeled after laws passed in other states — five of which have injunctions against their implementation. Legislation like HB68 will put Ohio in the national spotlight for all the wrong reasons, further harming employee recruitment and retention.

Additionally, the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) has been regulating transgender individuals playing sports for years without incident or issue. This is government overreach at its worst; let all kids play sports via the existing OHSAA guidelines, which are working.

HB 68 will harm Ohio’s families, perception, and bottom line. Please use your power to stop this harmful bill from becoming law. Please VETO HB 68 and support Ohio’s families and a thriving economic workforce.

We know these bills are bad for business. It’s not too late to stop this.

Business voices matter. After you email, please call Gov. DeWine’s office at (614) 466-3555 or (614) 644-4357 to voice your opposition to this bill. You can also release an independent public statement condemning this bill, or have meetings and conversations directly with lawmakers.

If your business, organization, or association would like to make a statement condemning this legislation, please contact [email protected] for more information.

Thank you for being with us. We need your voice now more than ever.

Alana Jochum, Esq.

Board of Directors, Ohio Business Competes

Executive Director, Equality Ohio

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(EDITOR’S NOTE: Loveland Magazine is a member of Ohio Business Competes.)