COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) — the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) civil rights organization — hailed the decision by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine today to veto House Bill 68, legislation that would have banned healthcare for transgender youth in the state and prevented transgender students from participating in school sports on the teams that match their gender identity.

Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson released the following statement in response:

“Ohio families don’t want politicians meddling in decisions that should be between parents, their kids and their doctors. Instead, parents, schools and doctors should all do everything they can to make all youth, including transgender youth, feel loved and accepted, and politicians should not be making it harder for them to do so. Thank you to Gov. DeWine for listening to the people of his state and making the right decision for young trans Ohioans.”

During a press conference today announcing the veto, Gov. DeWine said: “Were I to sign House Bill 68, or were House Bill 68 to become law, Ohio would be saying that the state, that the government, knows better what is best for a child than the two people who know that child the best – the parents."

In a recent statement, the Ohio Children’s Hospital Association wrote of H.B.68: “If this bill becomes law, it will be devastating to kids and their families who are already at their most vulnerable and will place an insurmountable barrier between patients and their medical professionals for often lifesaving care.” Anti-LGBTQ+ legislation has also been opposed broadly by the business community — more than 300 major U.S. corporations have spoken out to oppose discriminatory legislation being proposed in states across the country. Over 100 large employers have also signed onto the Count Us In pledge, which includes a commitment to ensure access to health care for their transgender and nonbinary employees. Many of those industries make up the backbone of Ohio’s economy, underscoring the potential fallout of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation in the state. And survey data from PRRI shows that 80 percent of Ohioans support nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ+ people.

The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people. HRC envisions a world where LGBTQ+ people are embraced as full members of society at home, at work and in every community.