There’s a rift between Democratic candidate for governor Amy Acton and some members of the LGBTQ+ community. Acton recently made comments that are causing some in the LGBTQ+ community to question their support for her. Acton recently told the Toledo Blade that she does not support, quote, “boys playing in girls' sports,” adding it is settled law in Ohio which she would uphold.
That angered many in the LGBTQ+ community. Kyle Herman, who said he is speaking on his own and not in his role as chair of the Ohio Democratic Party's Pride Caucus, said he wants her to clarify her comments.
“It appeared to misgender trans girls as boys, which sounded like she was adopting MAGA rhetoric to deny the existence of trans people even though I don’t believe that was her intent,” Herman said in an interview.
Herman said a remote video call recently conducted between the campaign, the party and key LGBTQ+ leaders to talk about the comments didn’t go well. He said some key members of the LGBTQ+ community were excluded, and that Acton herself was not on the call. Herman said he and others want to hear directly from her.
“We are trying to call Amy Acton in instead of calling her out to give her a chance to clarify what she meant and I don’t think that she was implying that trans people don’t exist," Herman said. "I think we just need her to be able to speak on this issue authentically from the heart.”
The state's leading LGBTQ+ civil rights group Equality Ohio, which had given Acton an A rating, is now listing her rating status as "pending". A written statement from the organization’s Jen Kuhn read: "Comments like the ones recently made by Dr. Amy Acton in the Toledo Blade about transgender Ohioans are harmful. They reflect a broader pattern of scapegoating trans people often based on data that simply isn’t true. National and Ohio polling consistently show voters reject this kind of scapegoating and instead want leaders focused on affordability, jobs and freedom from discrimination.”
The statement went on to say the group believes accountability is still possible and the door remains open at this time.
Republican candidate for governor Vivek Ramaswamy has received an “F” rating from the group because he supports bans on gender-affirming care, has been a critic of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, supports restrictions on reproductive healthcare access and has made controversial statements about LGBTQ+ Ohioans.
The Statehouse News Bureau reached out to the Acton for Ohio campaign about this story. In a written statement, Addie Bullock, spokesperson for the Acton for Ohio campaign, said, "Dr. Amy Acton is laser-focused on building a brighter future for all Ohioans." The statement went on to criticize Ramaswamy, saying he is "dangerous for Ohio." The statement does not say whether Acton will meet with members of the LGBTQ community.
This story was updated with a comment from the Acton for Ohio campaign at 10:15 p.m.
