HRC responded to President Donald Trump, who is scheduled to raise money for anti-LGBTQ U.S. Senate candidate Rep. Jim Renacci and Ohio gubernatorial candidate Mike DeWine in Columbus tomorrow. Trump, Renacci and DeWine all support a license to discriminate against LGBTQ people.

“Donald Trump, Jim Renacci and Mike DeWine have pushed anti-LGBTQ policies that are not only wrong, they are politically toxic in a state with more than 1.5 million Equality Voters,” said HRC State Manager Shawn Copeland. “Renacci opposes marriage equality, doesn’t support the Equality Act and has maintained a ‘zero’ score on HRC’s Congressional Scorecard for his entire career in the U.S. House. As Attorney General, DeWine defended the state’s marriage ban, stating that LGBTQ people did not deserve ‘protected-class status.’ That’s why HRC is mobilizing members and volunteers across Ohio to ensure voters stand up and reject Renacci, DeWine and their dangerous agenda.”

Just last week, Renacci addressed the Tony Perkins-run anti-LGBTQ hate group, the Family Research Council -- continuing to align himself with fringe extremists who do not represent Ohio values. DeWine also opposes non-discrimination laws protecting Ohioans on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, and protections for LGBTQ youth facing discrimination and bullying at school. As a U.S. Senator, DeWine never scored above 25 out of 100 on HRC’s Congressional Scorecard, which scores congress members’ votes on issues of LGBTQ equality.

As Trump, Renacci and DeWine campaign together and push their extreme, anti-equality agendas, HRC is on the ground mobilizing our members and supporters and nearly 1.6 million Equality Voters in Ohio to reject the politics of hate by re-electing Senator Sherrod Brown and electing Richard Cordray Ohio’s next governor.

Brown is one of the LGBTQ community’s staunchest allies in the Senate. He voted to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” in 2010 and for passage of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act in 2009. Brown has also been a consistent ally for marriage equality and is a co-sponsor of the Equality Act, crucial federal legislation that would finally guarantee explicit, permanent protections for LGBTQ people under our nation's existing civil rights laws.

Richard Cordray has a long record working to advance equality at the state and national level, most recently as the first Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), where he extended the Equal Credit Opportunity Act to prohibit financial discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. As Ohio Solicitor General, he wrote a brief supporting Wisconsin’s LGBTQ-inclusive hate crime laws and advocated for Ohio to update the state’s hate crime laws to also protect the LGBTQ community. Cordray supports marriage equality, the Ohio Fairness Act and updating the state’s birth certificate laws.

In Ohio, HRC has identified more than 1,550,000 Equality Voters -- voters who support LGBTQ-inclusive policies including marriage equality, equitable family law, and laws that would prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. HRC has prioritized investments and organizing in Ohio in the 2018 cycle, and has already put staff and resources on the ground in the state. Last year, HRC announced a coast-to-coast campaign called HRC Rising, which represents the largest grassroots expansion in the organization’s 38-year history.