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At a trans rights rally in Dayton, Ohio, this past spring, Arienne Childrey ended her speech with a declaration.
"I am not asking for my rights because by God, I'm taking them," she said to a cheering crowd.
It's that same energy that led Childrey to become Ohio's first out transgender person to serve on a city council and to challenge a Republican incumbent for a state house seat in a deeply red district in western Ohio.
Childrey, a resident of St. Marys in Auglaize County (a town of a little more than 8,000), challenged Republican Angela (Angie) King for Ohio House District 84 in 2024, though she ultimately didn't win the election.
But for Childrey, she said her campaign was about more than victory at the ballot box.
"If you're going to run a campaign where you demonize us and in a lot of places you're really running your campaign by attacking who we are, then it's only fitting that a member of our community is up there speaking and being a part of that process," she said.
Now serving as vice chair of the Ohio Democratic Party Pride Caucus, Childrey said she works to expand LGBTQ+ representation by recruiting candidates and advocating for inclusive policies across the state.
We need to look at people and go, whether you accept us or you don't accept us, we are not going anywhere, we're not backing down.Arienne Childrey
She said that she sees a growing wave of anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric in Ohio, which has fueled her determination to remain active in local government.
"Standing around waiting for somebody else to stand up for us just isn't going to happen anymore," she said. "Pride is an opportunity to stand up. It is rebellion, it is revolution."
Childrey said she also wants to show the LGBTQ+ community that political engagement matters, even in more conservative areas of Ohio.
"We wanted to show that as LGBT people we're still interested in good governance across the board, not just on our issues, but on all the issues," she said. "And to show the LGBT community that even in these very, very conservative areas, we have the power to run and make a difference. We may not always win, but we can always make a difference in the community."
Now, Childrey is calling on LGBTQ+ individuals who can to step up and get involved.
"Use the privilege that we do have in our opportunities to speak out regardless of what's going on and to inspire that Stonewall spirit," she said. "They've made us political. And so we've got a responsibility to get involved in that and to show generations within our community from the oldest to the youngest."
This story was produced at the Eichelberger Center for Community Voices at WYSO. Translucent is made possible with support from The Rubi Girls Foundation.
