Ohio HB183/SB104
LOVEboldly's Stance: OPPOSE
Why should Christians care about Ohio House Bill 183?
Summary - HB183
HB183 would restrict access to bathrooms, locker rooms, and other typically gendered spaces (including accommodations on overnight trips) for students, faculty, and staff in K-12 and higher education. The bill requires people to use the facility corresponding to the sex listed on their original birth certificate. It provides no clear plan for enforcement.
Status of the Bill
(as of November 13, 2024)
HB183 was introduced in the House on May 23, 2023, and assigned to the House Higher Education Committee on June 7, 2023. The Committee heard opponent testimony on October 11, 2023, proponent testimony on October 18, 2023, and interested party testimony on December 6, 2023. On January 10, 2024, a new substitute bill was introduced by the sponsors of HB183 which offered no substantive changes and in fact made the bill worst. On April 10, 2024, HB183 was voted out of committee.
On June 25, 2024, HB183 was added to SB104 (a bill on the College Credit Plus program) as an amendment and passed by the House. The Senate passed SB104 (including HB183) on November 13, 2024. It now goes to Governor DeWine for signature or veto.
Take Action
1. Sign a petition calling on Governor DeWine to veto SB104/HB183. Click here.
Congregational Action*
1. Members of your congregation can participate in all the actions above.
2. If your congregation is not yet a Church Partner with LOVEboldly consider becoming a partner.
3. Encourage your members to donate to LOVEboldly or one of our strategic partners including Equality Ohio, TransOhio, Trans Allies of Ohio, Honesty for Ohio Education, and the ACLU of Ohio.
Other Resources Regarding Ohio HB183
*Legal Stuff
We're not lawyers and nothing we say should be taken as legal advice. Please consult your congregational and denominational legal counsel for legal advice. That said, we know congregations sometimes wonder what they can and cannot do when it comes to advocacy.
Like LOVEboldly, most churches are 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations and as such are tax exempt. Donors to 501(c)(3) organizations can also, under some circumstances, deduct their donations from their taxes (another area where people should consult a professional which LOVEboldly is not).
DO - Churches and other 501(c)(3) nonprofits can engage in issue-based advocacy. This means we can publicly support or oppose policies, bills, regulations, and other governmental actions. In most cases our support or opposition is in the form of educating people and then arguing why people should support or oppose a particular issue. Everything on this page is an example of issue-based advocacy in opposition to HB8.
DON'T - Churches and other 501(c)(3) organizations cannot engage in partisan politics. We can neither endorse particular politicians nor can we lobby politicians or government officials. We can hold nonpartisan events such as a voter registration drive. We all have examples of churches behaving badly: pastors endorsing candidates from the pulpit, sermons demonizing other candidates, and many more. Don't model their behavior.